Alberta has purchased electronic billboard space in New York's Times Square to combat criticism of its oilsands.

The 10-second spots have been running every hour in the iconic city square since Sept. 1 and are slated to run until Oct. 15 for a total run of 2,450.

The message reads "A good neighbour lends you a cup of sugar. A great neighbour sells you $1.4 million barrels of oil a day and does it responsibly."

The province is shelling out $17,000 for the ad space.