Amazon has announced plans to open up a second headquarters somewhere in North America and Mayor John Tory says he “firmly believes” that Toronto should be a “prime candidate” for the facility.
The online retailing giant said on Thursday that it will invest $5 billion in constructing and developing a second headquarters that will be a “full equal” to its campus in Seattle.
Amazon says the facility, which would be dubbed HQ2, could generate up to “50,000 high-paying jobs” and pump “tens of billions of dollars” into the economy, wherever it happens to be located.
In a statement provided to CP24 after Amazon’s announcement, Tory said that city staff are already working with Toronto Global to put together an “attractive bid.”
Toronto Global is a government-funded agency tasked with attracting global investment to Toronto and the GTA.
“I firmly believe that Toronto is a prime candidate to host Amazon's second headquarters in North America. We are a bold, innovative city that has plenty of homegrown tech talent. We also continue to attract talent and companies from around the world,” Tory wrote.
Amazon has said that it will give preference to metropolitan areas with more than one million people and a “stable and business-friendly” environment in selecting the site for its new headquarters.
The request for proposals (RFP) says that there will be an initial requirement of 500,000 square feet in building space by 2019 and a need for up to eight million square feet in space as of 2027.
The RFP also says that the chosen site should be no more than one to two miles away from major highways and arterial roads and have direct access to mass transit.
Amazon also says that the availability of tax incentives to “offset initial capital outlay and ongoing operational costs will be significant factors” in its decision.
Groups interested in submitting a proposal to Amazon must do so between Oct. 16 and 19.
