Bids are in, Amazon now wades through dozens of HQ applicants
Posted October 19, 2017 10:27 pm.
Last Updated October 20, 2017 7:02 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Thursday was the deadline for cities to get their bids in to Amazon, which is looking for a city to host its second headquarters.
Cities across the US and Canada have been clamouring for Amazon’s attention, submitting applications touting their suitability.
According to some accounts, about one hundred cities and counties have expressed interest. They range from small counties in the southern US to Canada’s largest cities, including Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
Gord Price, director with SFU’s The City Program, believes Denver, Colorado is the city to beat.
“It’s got a great location in that it’s pretty well in the centre of the US, has a great airport, it has quality of life, and housing is affordable,” he explains.
The high-tech giant is promising to invest $5 billion and create 50,000 jobs in the winning city. The average employee would earn $100,000 a year – something that could give some cities pause for concern, especially if it leads to competition for limited resources like housing.
“If we’re looking for doctors, if we’re looking for professors, if we’re looking for corporate executives – what’s this new well-paid workforce going to do? We may get an Amazon but we may drive out the long term benefits of having a more diverse economy,” says Price.
Amazon says it will make a decision in 2018.
