An apology from Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil in newspapers over the weekend has ignited controversy not over what was said, but who paid for it.

In the full-page spread, the premier apologizes "to seniors and their families for any confusion or concerns" about the senior's pharmacare program.

But some are reading between the lines.

“What we're seeing is the premier spending thousands of dollars on advertisements intended as a PR exercise,” said Kevin Lacey of the Canadian Taxpayers Association.

Lacey says it’s a costly apology.

“With this an apology, is simply to improve the premier’s image in the public eye, and that's not something the taxpayers of Nova Scotia should be paying for,” he said.

The Department of Health paid $17,000 for the ad.

“Using taxpayer money to send that kind of political messaging out to the province is not political at all,” said Tim Houston, Nova Scotia PC MLA. “Political messaging should be paid for by political parties, not by taxpayers.”

The ad first appeared in newspapers on Saturday. It ran in the Chronicle Herald, as well as four other publications in the province - including the Monday edition of Metro Halifax. A spokesperson for Communications Nova Scotia says there are no plans to run the ad again.

“I think it was the right thing to do to inform Nova Scotians as quickly as we could, to use a broad base to reach them, and to lay out the facts,” said Nova Scotia Deputy Premier Diana Whalen.

Whalen says the ad was not used for any partisan purpose.

“I think the ad is very factual and I think that's part of the rules that we have in place is that you have to be conveying policy and talking to people about government policy,” said Whalen. “This really was an area where there was confusion, and frankly a lot of seniors were very worried and upset.”

Chronicle Herald workers on the picket line are expressing concern.

“It's really disappointing to see Stephen McNeil and the Liberals supporting the Chronicle Herald, which has dumped its newsroom out on the street,” said striking worker Claire Mcilveen.

Nova Scotia NDP Interim Leader Maureen MacDonald says it just shouldn't have happened.

“They could have better spent these resources doing a proper consultation in the first place,” said MacDonald.

McNeil is out of the office this week, but Whalen says the ad was first and foremost meant to inform seniors about the pharmacare program policy, and that it adheres to guidelines on government advertising.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Caitlin Andrea.