MOOSE JAW — Creating a promotional video to encourage tourists — particularly from the United States — to visit Moose Jaw was a new experience for Mayor James Murdock, who joked that acting is not his forte.
“We put some good thought into it, and we thought that, ‘Let’s promote the city in a way that we’re welcoming our American friends that are just south of us across the border (in Montana and North Dakota),’” Murdock said.
“And, at the same time, (we wanted to promote) the city even for residents of the province, just letting everyone know we’re here and everyone is welcome and make Moose Jaw your tourist destination.”
The mayor said it was a “very interesting” experience to stand in front of the camera, as he had never done anything like that before. However, he enjoyed watching the project come together and appreciated the collaboration between city hall and Nebulus Entertainment.
Craig Hemingway, director of strategic growth, developed the video’s concept and worked with filmmaker Jared Robinson to bring it to life, Murdock recalled. It took all three men about six hours to film the video, with most of it shot in the mayor’s office and a couple of scenes in the community.
Other scenes were shot but were left on the cutting room floor.
There is plenty of economic uncertainty happening because of the tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump is imposing on Canada, so Murdock said he was relying on elected officials at the provincial and federal levels to navigate this situation. Still, this challenge also presented an opportunity to profile the city.
“Communities still have carry on, and we realized that tourism impacts our local economy quite greatly, and we thought this might be a way to … expand on that even more,” he continued.
“That really is the sole message, (is) come to Moose Jaw,” the mayor stated. “We’re here to show off what we have … for the people who want to make a weekend getaway or extended stays.”
Murdock pointed to the brief period during the coronavirus pandemic when Canadians were forced to travel inside the country since the borders were closed. That time saw an influx of tourists from Saskatchewan and other provinces visit here.
Now, the city and its tourism industry want Americans to come north because of the strong U.S. dollar, while they also want Canadians to visit because of the weak loonie.
In 2024, the tourism industry in Moose Jaw generated $134 million in revenue, with $18 million coming from outside the country, the mayor said. He expected those numbers to increase this summer with all the activities happening to promote the community.
Asked whether he was worried that the video might antagonize some people because of humorous jokes about the border and annexation, Murdock replied that people “can read into it how they want.” However, regardless of whether comments are positive or negative, he respects them both and hoped the video made people feel good.
Most feedback has been positive, whether it’s from interviewers or residents saying they appreciate the promotion, he continued. Of note, the City of Minot in North Dakota reached out to discuss the video.
“They are completely ecstatic about what we achieved with that, to the point that they are going to incorporate a message like that to their Canadian friends,” Murdock said, adding that Canadians can be patriotic but should also be welcoming of other citizens.
