The provincial government has shortlisted three Toronto marketing agencies to "brand" Manitoba – a move that has angered local ad agencies.

Premier Gary Doer wants to revamp the province's image to help keep young Manitobans in the province and attract outside businesses. He asked his economic advisory committee to look for a new "brand" all government agencies and departments could use.

Local agencies were recently told the only agencies that will be allowed to make formal bids on the branding projects are three that have been shortlisted: Brandworks, Spencer Francey Peters, and Interbrand. The first two are based in Toronto; Interbrand is an international company with a Toronto office.

Local advertising firms say they feel snubbed.

"Who better to say what it's like to live in Manitoba than a Manitoban?" says Sharon Lancaster with the Advertising Association of Winnipeg. "I'm not sure if a Torontonian can really understand where our hearts are."

Lancaster says it's ironic the province wants to keep young Manitobans at home, but isn't giving local companies a shot at the branding campaign.

Ash Modha, who sits on the advisory committee making the selection, says the shortlist was based on a merit point system, and Manitoba agencies just didn't score as high as the Toronto companies. Modha says it wouldn't be right to make a Manitoba firm put together a formal proposal at this stage.

"To skew it all and try and get someone from Manitoba to do something and … get them to spend all this time and effort on something when purely on merit those three agencies had a better score."

• 'A slap in the face' •

Local firms don't deny the three shortlisted companies are leaders in the field, but say that expertise is also found here. Without the opportunity to work on such a project, they say, local agencies will never get the type of experience the committee wants.

Vick Kuffner with the Manitoba agency Market Force says local companies have both the talent and experience to do the job.

"Now when the Manitoba government goes outside of the province, which suggests that we don't have the talent in the province, that sends a non-confidence message to us and it also goes on to say that very same thing to our clients," he says.

Manitoba's opposition Tories say the government's plan to use a Toronto company is "a slap in the face" to local companies.

Conservative leader Stuart Murray questions the cost and timing of the "branding" plan He says it's outrageous that the province can pay a Toronto ad firm to create a new "brand" for the province when the balanced budget is in jeopardy.

Modha says once the winning brand and image is selected, it's likely a Manitoba company will execute the branding project.