Is it still true that sticks and stones may break your bones but names will never hurt you? Apparently not in Nova Scotia, where the provincial government has released a list of words it wants banished from use by the news media.

And to make sure it gets the message across, the province is offering cash prizes to people who spot "offensive" language in newspaper and magazine articles related to mental health and suicide.

Readers who pick out inappropriate language will be entered into a draw for prizes worth up to $2,000.

Included on the list of are such words and phrases as "basket-case, cracked-up, crazed, demented, fruitcake, kooky, loony, lost their marbles, lunatic, madman, maniac, nutcase, and schizo."

Carol Toonton of the Canadian Mental Health Association says while the project sounds odd to many, it's all about using appropriate language and not relying on outdated negative stereotypes.

"We don't use the word Negro anymore when we're talking about people of colour in our community," she says.

It's not that the words themselves are all bad, it's just the way they're often used. For example, media headlines regularly refer to pop star Michael Jackson as "Wacko Jacko." Under the new Nova Scotia rules, that kind of language is verboten.

If a journalist used any of the banned words in an improper context, the province plans to offer guidance and education.

Not everyone is excited by the contest. Paul Schneidereit, a columnist with the Halifax Herald, calls it "a daffy idea."

And opposition health critic Maureen MacDonald calls it a form of government intimidation.

"You can't police what people have to say in the media," she says. "It makes the job of reporting stories very difficult."

But Toonton says the contest is about education, not intimidation. Furthermore, the critics are giving the list of banned words exactly what mental health supporters want -- some publicity.