Premier Brian Pallister wants to jump into the bidding war in an effort to convince Amazon to open its second North America headquarters in Winnipeg.
On Thursday, September 7, 2017, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos announced that Amazon was looking to set up a second headquarters in North America and that cities had until October 19, 2017, to respond to a request for proposals.
The payoff for the winning city is billions of dollars in investments, 50,000 good paying jobs and a boom to the local economy.
[jaw_quote author=”Brian Pallister, Premier of Manitoba” ]With our central location in North America, our transportation infrastructure, our well-educated workforce, our plentiful green energy and the lowest cost of doing business in the continent, Winnipeg is the best choice to be the home of Amazon’s HQ2[/jaw_quote][jaw_clear]
Pallister said in a statement on Saturday that he has reached out to the Mayor of Winnipeg, Brian Bowman about the opportunity and wants to put together a “Team Manitoba” approach to the proposal by including businesses and other stakeholders.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for Winnipeg and Manitoba,” the premier said.
Although the premier is keyed up about submitting a proposal the Amazon request for proposal is very specific about what it is looking for.
In choosing the location for HQ2, Amazon has a preference for:
- Metropolitan areas with more than one million people (Winnipeg metro area is less than that)
- A stable and business-friendly environment
- Urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent
- Communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options
(The complete proposal can be seen below)
Amazon is also looking for an international airport within 45 minutes, on-site access to mass transit, as well as easy access to a highway.
Also required are fibre optic internet and strong cellular service.
“Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs,” said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO.
“Winnipeg’s geographic position in the centre of the country, history as a multi-modal hub, and advanced technology and manufacturing expertise makes it the perfect location for Amazon. By partnering with the province and key stakeholders in the economic community, we will present a unified proposal for this significant opportunity,” said Mayor Brian Bowman, City of Winnipeg.
Since the surprise announcement on Thursday, dozens of cities have publically shown interest in submitting a proposal including Chicago, Dallas, San Diago and Toronto.
-News 4-
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