By Pepper Parr
October 3rd, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
We often get news items from our friends across the bay and we explain that the Burlington Gazette is about Burlington. We add that if an atomic bomb were to fall on Hamilton – that would not be news – but the tidal wave that would come across the bay would be Burlington news.
A bit of an exaggeration but it makes the point.
There are of course exceptions – and the news that Hamilton has tossed its hat into the ring to attract Amazon’s second headquarter office to their city would be bigger than a bomb being dropped.
Wherever the Amazon people put their office it is reported that it will include 50,000 jobs and that kind of growth would certainly impact Burlington.
Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger reaches out to Amazon inviting them to check out his city when looking for a second headquarters operation
Has Hamilton got a hope in hades of attraction what is being referred to as Amazon HQ2? Who knows? The suggestion has been made that Amazon wants to locate the second corporate headquarters outside the United States. No rocket science in the thinking behind that reason.
In a unanimous Council vote, the City is sending a clear message to the Seattle-based technology giant that we have the people, the infrastructure, the talent and the resolve to deliver results. HQ2 involves the creation of 50,000 jobs in the next ten to fifteen years and $5 billion in capital expenditures.
“This represents a significant opportunity that our team is focused on pursuing. The economic and creative transformation of our city aligns perfectly with Amazon’s expansion plans. We know we are going to be competing with cities from across North America and we are confident in the value, excitement and energy Hamilton brings to what we believe will be a winning proposal,” said Mayor Eisenberger.
“When reviewing Amazon’s request for proposal, the City looked closely, both at the attributes of the type of city they were seeking as well as the technical and land requirements. Considering a number of these key elements, the City sees its strength on a multitude of fronts as a solid match for Amazon’s requirements and business drivers.
James Street crawl: They’ve never seen anything like this in Seattle, location of the Amazon head office.
The economic development opportunity is deemed a game changer and a solid way to show that Hamilton is investing in the city for future generations.
The city has shared the message they sent to Amazon. Bold indeed. Good luck to them. Here is what Mayor Eisenberger had to say:
This would be an incredible opportunity for Hamilton, but I wonder how much of a factor Ontario’s insane energy costs, with no end in sight, will ultimately play a part in that decision? I’m pretty sure the second highest cost for a business like this, after personnel, would be energy. There are a number of far better options for them in Canada.