Police in Manitoba are returning fire in a social media battle sparked by Vancouver officers, with messages that hit the city where it hurts the most: the housing market.

The Twitter trolling began Monday, with the Vancouver PD using the city's natural beauty – and mild weather – to lure new recruits while mocking another part of the country.

In a message on Twitter Monday, the VPD wrote: "Dear Manitoba: We're sorry to hear you're still having snow. Sincerely, Vancouver."

The force added at the bottom, "P.S. Did anyone mention we're hiring?"

Snow was in the forecast for the provincial capital on Monday, and the expected high was only 1 C. In Vancouver, the sky was clear most of the day, and the high reached 14.

The VPD posted four photos of Vancouver taken on clear days, showcasing the city's shoreline.

"We like to poke fun at other police departments," said VPD Staff Sgt. Randy Fincham.

"Anybody who's experiencing some adverse conditions in Canada right now, be prepared. We're coming after your officers."

He told CTV News that the force is hoping to attract 80 new officers to the city, and the friendly fight over the weather was just a small part of their overall strategy.

While the photos were taken in the city, residents could argue that they do not accurately reflect the Vancouver's current conditions. Environment Canada called last month the "gloomiest" March on record, and weather officials have recorded nearly twice as much rainfall this April as the average amount for the month.

One person wrote back to the VPD on Twitter: "It's been raining non-stop for the last 6 months. Stop the bulls--t."

Another commented that with the cost of living in Vancouver, those from Manitoba would be better off staying put, and commuting to the city "...by bike."

But police in the province were quiet until the next day, when the Manitoba RCMP fired back.

"It's ok, the snow melts quickly off the lawns of our affordable houses," Mounties wrote, signing the tweet with the hashtags "#mortgagefree" and #freedom55."

And they didn't stop there.

The RCMP also posted two images side-by-side of a small $1,088,000 home on Venables Street in East Vancouver, compared to a sprawling residence with a $549,000 price tag on Blue Spruce Road in a Winnipeg suburb. The listing for the Vancouver home is no longer online, but the listing in Oakbank shows the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home is 11 years old and more than 3,200 square feet.

Coming in at roughly half the price of the house in East Van, the home sits on a fully-landscaped 70-foot by 150-foot lot.

Ouch.

Vancouver police wrote back, "Sure, we get rain & housing can be expensive, but it gives us something to talk about!" and used the hashtag "#mosquitofree."

The Winnipeg police also got in on the insults, tweeting a gif from Family Guy of a forecaster saying, "It's gon rain," and asking: "Is this what your weather channel looks like everyday?"

In another tweet, the local force wrote: "Seems @VancouverPD knows where the best & brightest are located – and we’re not just referring to the 2300+ hours of sunshine we get."

With officers on both sides saying the social media standoff was all in good fun, CTV News put cops in both cities in touch over FaceTime.

"I laughed my butt off, I thought it was hilarious," said Winnipeg Police Const. Rob Carver.

"How's the weather out there?" Fincham teased Carver.

When asked to say something nice about the city, Fincham said "you can build a pretty mean snowman in Winnipeg!"

"May the best city win," Carver ended the call.

With files from CTV Vancouver's David Molko