Edmonton to bid on ‘tasty morsel’ $5-billon Amazon headquarters

Mayor Don Iveson called the chance to bid on Amazon’s second headquarters a “tasty morsel.” IAN KUCERAK / POSTMEDIA

Online retail giant Amazon is looking for a second North American headquarters and Edmonton is hoping to be its home.

The Seattle-based business is looking to open what it calls Amazon HQ2, a $5-billion construction project that could bring with it 50,000 jobs.

Mayor Don Iveson said the Amazon request for proposals is a “tasty morsel” that made his ears perk up Thursday.

“If they’re looking for assets like great talent, affordable downtown real estate, one of the best machine learning and artificial intelligence shops in the world just down the train line from the university, I think we have a great case to make,” Iveson said.

He said if the company expects massive tax concessions and shopping “bargain basement,” then it will have to look elsewhere.

Something as significant as the Amazon bid requires co-operation with regional partners, from the airport authorities to surrounding counties that offer recreational opportunities, he said.

Adam Sweet, speaking on behalf of the Edmonton Economic Development Corp., said Amazon is a major global player.

“It would be a reinforcement of the major steps Edmonton has taken onto the global stage,” Sweet said.

He pointed to Google’s Deep Mind coming to Edmonton, its first location outside of the U.K., and to local businesses such as Jobber and Granify as examples of Edmonton’s global brand growth.

“I think you see a growing confidence in the city that comes from being responsible for one out of every four net new jobs that’s been created in Canada over the past five years,” Sweet said.

While the city and EEDC are still going through bid specifics, Sweet said Edmonton has one of the youngest, fastest growing cities; a growing technology ecosystem and six post-secondary institutions.

Edmonton also has worked with global companies and has a history of innovation, he said.

That Edmonton is the only stop in Canada for Air China Cargo, the nanotechnology and artificial intelligence at the University of Alberta, and being Western Canada’s financial centre are things the world wants, Sweet said.

Sweet admits the competition is stiff, given Amazon’s existing headquarters is also in the northwest, but he said the bid for Amazon’s new headquarters won’t be the last opportunity for Edmonton.

Oct. 19 is the response deadline.

With files from Elise Stolte