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HALIFAX – A billboard in Halifax aimed at raising funds for a tribute to women is generating a whirlwind of public debate because it features a photo of three smiling men in suits.

The advertisement on Barrington Street is for Mount Saint Vincent University, which is seeking donations for its Women’s Wall of Honour, to be erected outside a new research building by December 2014.

The photo shows Peter Kent, president of the Greater Halifax Partnership, former provincial Liberal leader Danny Graham and Rob Batherson, a vice-president with the ad firm Colour.

Above the photo is the message: “We celebrate the remarkable women on the Riva Spatz Women’s Wall of Honour. Join us.”

The university couldn’t be reached for comment, but Batherson says one of the goals of the campaign is to get more men to contribute.

But the billboard has prompted its share of criticism, including a website headline from Adweek magazine that reads: “Idiotic billboard celebrating women shows three grinning dudes in suits.”

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