Montreal submits bid to Amazon to become 2nd North American headquarters
CEO of Montréal International promotes city's qualified pool of candidates, reasonable cost of living
The president and CEO of Montréal International — the group in charge of the Montreal's bid to lure Amazon — is trying to woo the online retail giant the old-fashioned way: Hubert Bolduc delivered the bid in person.
Bolduc flew to Seattle Thursday, the deadline to submit proposals to become Amazon's second North American headquarters.
The company is promising 50,000 high-paying jobs and a $5-billion US investment for the winning city.
"The whole team stepped up its efforts in the past few weeks to highlight all the know-how and creativity Greater Montréal has to offer," said Bolduc in a statement. "The city is one of the most tech-forward in the world and that is attractive to Amazon, one of the most innovative companies in the 21st century."
In addition to boasting about a growing pool of qualified candidates and having the highest concentration of tech sector jobs of any Canadian city, Montreal's pitch included a comparison to Toronto, pointing out that it's cheaper for young professionals to live here.
The bid was submitted with the encouragement and blessing of the Quebec government and the City of Montreal.
Earlier this week, the incumbent mayor, Denis Coderre, said securing the Amazon headquarters would be a boon for Montreal, while Projet Montréal leader and mayoral candidate Valérie Plante said she wants to make sure negotiations benefit the city, too.