Retail giant Amazon is seeking a location for a second headquarters and they’ve asked for cities to send them sales pitches. Calling this new site HQ2, Amazon plans to invest $5 billion US in the site and says it could eventually house up 50,000 workers within the proposed eight million square feet of space.
HQ2 would be a “full equal” to the company’s existing headquarters in Seattle and would hopefully bring billions of dollars in investments along with tens of thousands of lucrative employment opportunities. Those jobs would include salaries in the $100,000 range, according to founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.
While several Canadian cities, such as Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Halifax, have already expressed interest, there are several reasons why Brampton would be an ideal spot for another Amazon headquarters.
Unlike larger cities in the GTA, Brampton has a lot of physical real estate to offer. A recent study from Neptis Foundation, an urban policy think tank, reveals that there is a lot of land still available for expansion in the city.
Brampton City Council recently approved a $150 million investment strategy for the future university in the downtown area. A thriving university in Brampton means that there will be a large talent pool available from which Amazon can choose.
In addition, the local Amazon warehouse provides innovation through its high-tech robotics; why not complement that with a full-blown headquarters?
Finally, being situated between Waterloo and Toronto means Brampton is well-connected to other areas in the GTA. It’s located in such a way that it can attract employees from both cities.
Cities interested in staking a claim for Amazon’s new headquarters should submit pitches to the company’s dedicated website by the October 19 deadline.
What do you think? Would you like to see Amazon’s new headquarters set up shop in Brampton? Let us know in the comments!
