Nova Scotia isn’t indulging in hyperbole by advertising the province’s "booming" information technology sector across Canada, says Angela Campbell, brand adviser with Communications Nova Scotia.

"We definitely can," she said on Tuesday when asked if the province can justify print, outdoor and TV advertisements that trumpet the high-tech sector in Nova Scotia.

The so-called "under your nose" ads feature characters with typed messages running above their lips touting such things as "Booming IT industry." The ads are part of a $950,000 six-week provincial marketing campaign that began in February.

One of the IT print ads, which claim that "more and more IT companies are choosing Nova Scotia to grow their operations because of our world-class infrastructure and an environment that works for business," ran in the Globe and Mail on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s Globe also included the business magazine Backbone, which listed Canada’s top 250 tech companies. Only two of those firms are based in Nova Scotia — software developer xwave, a division of Bell Aliant, and GenieKnows.com, a division of IT Interactive Services, which has developed a pay-per-click search network.

Nova Scotia’s share of the country’s top 250 tech firms was 0.8 per cent, which tied it with Manitoba and put it ahead of Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island, which both had a 0.4 per cent share. Ontario led with a 55.6 per cent share, followed by Quebec with 16 per cent, British Columbia with 15.2 per cent and Alberta with 9.6 per cent...

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