Why one woman is driving across Canada to convince you to move to Lunenburg, N.S. - Action News
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Why one woman is driving across Canada to convince you to move to Lunenburg, N.S.

Tina Hennigar has been living in this trailer since the end of July, trekking across the country to try to convince people the life they've always wanted is in Nova Scotia.

Aging population in Nova Scotia county prompted cross-country search for residents

Tina Hennigar has been working for a year to try to tell Canadians why Lunenburg, N.S., is the best place to settle down. (Robson Fletcher/CBC)

Driving through downtown Ottawa, you may have seen an old 1976 camper trailer parkedalong the street.

If you were to look inside, you'd see objects and decor reflectinglife on Canada's Ocean Playground Lunenburg, N.S., to be exact.

Tina Hennigarhas been living in the trailer since the end of July, trekking across the country to try to convince people the life they've always wanted is in Nova Scotia.

"It was actually at a food festival when I saw all these food trucks roll in from othercommunities and I thought,that's what we need to do," she said Wednesday.

"We need to go out and talk to fellow Canadians about our community and, if they're thinking of relocating, why they should consider Lunenburg County."

She paints an idyllic picture of the Atlantic Ocean, quiet commutes and plentiful parking (it isn't aseasy to find a place to stop her camper in downtown Ottawa).

Picturesque Lunenburg is attracting empty nesters, but the county has had to invest in drawing young families.

Spreading East Coast culture

The county hired Hennigar as itspopulation growth co-ordinator last September. Her mission is tocounter the declining number of residents in a region where the main demographic is retired couples.

"Folks are moving in later in life," Hennigar said. "What we need is younger families."

Her trailer is stocked with information about Lunenburg real estate, jobs and housing, so she's always prepared to make the pitch.

She has already persuaded several people to set their course foreastern Canada, she said.

Hennigar's tour of Ottawa wraps up Thursday. (CBC)

"We certainly expect that in the next few years we're going to see people move."

The contents of the trailer have also helped to dispel some misconceptions about the regionespecially about the snow, she said.

"There's a lot of people around the country who aren't familiar with the East Coast."

The Lunenburgtrailer tour will wrap up in Ottawa Thursday and will head back to Nova Scotia.

With files from CBC Radio's All in a Day