Toronto is the only Canadian city to make the short list of places where Amazon could build its second company headquarters.
In September, the online shopping giant announced it was looking for a second home outside Seattle and invited municipalities across North America to submit bids. Hundreds of cities answered the call, with many of them completely debasing themselves in the process.
Many cities and states vying for the headquarters have promised lavish tax benefits and other perks. Toronto did not offer Amazon any public money, but the city's bid did highlight existing tax benefits the company could claim.
Other Canadian cities that submitted bids for Amazon's "HQ2" include Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, and Halifax.
Toronto Mayor John Tory welcomed the announcement.
Today, @amazon announced that the Toronto Region is one of 20 locations on the shortlist for Amazon HQ2. The Toront… https://t.co/snhA7XvbUB
But others were a little more skeptical.
excited & worried that #Toronto made @amazon's short list for their new #AmazonHQ2. Amazon in #The6ix would be a hu… https://t.co/9tTDInyjrV
Amazon claims it will spend $5 billion building the new headquarters and bring 50,000 high-paying jobs to whatever city it chooses. But many people warn that Amazon's impact on Seattle has not been all positive, especially on housing and inequality, and that any city that lands the second headquarters could suffer similar effects.
Some were more blunt in their assessment.
Toronto should tell Amazon to fuck off. https://t.co/haSvriYz1c
And in typical Canadian fashion, many Torontonians are just happy to be invited to the cool kids' table.
It's always nice to be included with the cool kids: Toronto is shortlisted for the new Amazon Headquarters. I find… https://t.co/963XoxyTPk
Reaction to Amazon announcing Toronto on the shortlist for HQ2 campus reminds me of this. https://t.co/csl0SguWFu
Sorry, Ottawa. Ya should've clapped harder!
We are currently cheering for Amazon to set up shop in Ottawa during a TV timeout. I’m not making this up. #Canucks… https://t.co/iHdQaio1Jl
Amazon says it will make a final decision on where to locate its second headquarters later in 2018.