A billboard in downtown Halifax is causing some drivers to do a double take as it plasters a picture of three men on an advertisement for a women's wall of honour.

"We certainly weren’t looking to offend anybody," said Kelly Gallant of Mount Saint Vincent University. "We hope that it’ll get people thinking about who they want to honour in their lives."

The billboard, on Halifax’s busy Barrington Street, says "We celebrate remarkable women." Gallant said the idea is to encourage men to make donations towards a wall of excellence that will honour women in a new building at the school.

"The focus really is women," said Gallant. "We’re just choosing to share the message perhaps in a slightly different way."

Three out of four students at Mount Saint Vincent University are women.

'Perplexing' image

The image is raising eyebrows through the community and online. A picture of the billboard has been shared dozens of times. It’s become the source of fodder on various social media websites.

"Your first reaction is ‘something’s weird here,’" said Derrek Ord. "This was just uncomfortable."

Rob Batherson, one of the three men on the billboard, doesn’t mind the outcry.

"If it raises the question of how do we get more men to honour their wives, their girlfriends, their sisters, their mothers, their daughters, then that's a good thing," he said.

The billboard will be up for another three weeks.