286 replies to this topic

[On the Level]

Indeed. Governments ought not to buy jobs. Keep your regulatory regime slim and your taxes low and business will come.

Ironically, Alberta is the only province in Canada to have gone bankrupt and it is close again after paying for roads and infrastructure for private interests while writing off taxes to pay for it. 

[lanforod]

^They have express pay and paypal that work OK, but you are right the regular pay system is definitely flawed.

I was unable to figure out how to pay for some cycling clothes without sending them photo ID.

[LJ]

I was unable to figure out how to pay for some cycling clothes without sending them photo ID.

Really? I didn't have any of those type problems. I would get to the checkout page and it would start processing and then a message would pop up and say "something went wrong" with a try again button. At one time I had 6 closed orders for the same item.

[tjv]

All you need to do on e-bay is have an account with a US address, pick any address you like.

You do understand we aren't in Vancouver and just hop over the border when you feel like it right? 

 

Its probably the only thing I miss living in Vancouver before 9/11, drive over to Point Roberts (sometimes I didn't even had to come to a complete stop they would just wave me thru), tank of gas, dairy purchase and then try to jamb all the US purchases picked up from the mailbox in the hidden car compartments and drive back.

[LJ]

You do understand we aren't in Vancouver and just hop over the border when you feel like it right? 

 

Its probably the only thing I miss living in Vancouver before 9/11, drive over to Point Roberts (sometimes I didn't even had to come to a complete stop they would just wave me thru), tank of gas, dairy purchase and then try to jamb all the US purchases picked up from the mailbox in the hidden car compartments and drive back.

I don't think you quite understood. You just open an account with a US address, any address, you don't have to go the address or have things sent to the address. Sorta like using a VPN to get to offerings that are not available in your country. He just wanted to bid on an item and they wouldn't let him because he had a Canadian account. 

[amor de cosmos]

A new analysis by the Economic Policy Institute looking at employment in counties that managed to land a fulfillment center in the last 15 years found no evidence that overall employment increased, and in some instances employment even fell relative to comparison counties. The implication was that the commitments made to win Amazon’s facilities ― subsidies likely worth over $1 billion dollars in total ― usually were enough of a drag on the rest of the economy, either by imposing a higher tax burden or diverting resources, to more than offset any jobs and spending created by Amazon.

Nonetheless, politicians are unlikely to be deterred from such bidding wars, since the victory of landing a big investment is highly visible and immediate. A mayor or governor gets to take part in a big ceremony with the CEO of a major corporation touting the thousands of jobs that are being created. The costs in the form of lost tax revenue that may be needed to support schools, infrastructure and other essential services will only be seen years down the road.

Now, Jeff Bezos is taking the bidding war into the Internet Age with this highly publicized contest for Amazon’s next headquarters. He put out the promise of a new headquarters with “up to” 50,000 high-paying jobs, and then the country’s cities put in their offers. (Toronto is the one non-American city also in the running).

The structure of this bidding war is virtually guaranteed to ensure that the city that lands the new headquarters will end up paying out far more in subsidies than it gets back in benefits. Once a location is named as being in the top 20, political leaders have their appetite whetted. They want more than ever to be the winner and are prepared to raise their offers so that they don’t end up in second place. Bezos is using a standard tease as an inducement to keep people gambling, just like the $10 or $50 prizes in the state lotteries or the small jackpots at the slot machines. They give the players just enough incentive to want to keep playing.

In addition, to minimize the extent to which an informed public can scrutinize the commitments being made by their leaders, Amazon has encouraged city officials to keep the details of their offers secret. This means that there will be very little time between when city and state officials celebrate the big victory and when city or county councils have to vote on the package.

*snip*

The contest to find the stupidest mayor in America is best understood in this context, as yet another episode in Amazon’s efforts to shaft taxpayers. And judging by the quantity and enthusiasm of the bids, the taxpayers still haven’t caught on.

There is a reason that Jeff Bezos is considered a genius.

https://www.huffingt...4b08dfc92ff0128

[Jackerbie]

Trudeau is in Vancouver for an Amazon-related announcement this morning. Rumour is that the old downtown Canada Post facility will become a new Amazon office and distribution centre. Vancouver may have (very rightly) missed out on HQ2, but it's looking more and more like Amazon wants a satellite office up here. link: http://www.news1130....ncouver-amazon/

 

[Jackerbie]

Image of what is apparently proposed at this site. More details to follow

 

[lanforod]

I think that's great, but being Vancouver, seems a bit short? Shouldn't there be another 20 storeys on that?

[Jackerbie]

Ehhh, not every building needs to be tall, and I imagine that there are some difficulties associated with building new towers on top of that old Post building. Amazon will be one tenant, and will occupy about a third of the office space. There will be a retail component as well. The developer is QuadReal, and they have a press release here: https://www.quadreal.com/post/

 

[jonny]

Good news for BC, or perhaps we should scare them away because amazon is an American company, not everybody has been adequately consulted, we don't understand all the risks, it's on unceded FN territory and the economic benefits for BC aren't big enough. 

[nagel]

Not enough bike lanes in the rendering so I vote no too Jonny.

[Mike K.]

Those trees appear to be genetically inferior.

 

Next.

[DustMagnet]

Not enough bike lanes in the rendering so I vote no too Jonny.

More like no bike lanes, no bike racks and no bikes pictured at all.  Even the bus pictured doesn't have a front bike rack.  This is hardly an inclusive rendering.  I'll bet those Camosun arts grads could do better.

[LJ]

Where are all those new employees going to live? Vancouver already has too many inhabitants.

 

If the politicians were true to their words this would be being built in Chiliwack eg. where Amazon could build a housing village around the campus.

[AllseeingEye]

Trudeau is in Vancouver for an Amazon-related announcement this morning. Rumour is that the old downtown Canada Post facility will become a new Amazon office and distribution centre. Vancouver may have (very rightly) missed out on HQ2, but it's looking more and more like Amazon wants a satellite office up here. link: http://www.news1130....ncouver-amazon/

 

 

Not to sound cynical because on balance IMO this is an excellent, exciting development for Vancouver bringing thousands more (relatively well paid) skilled workers downtown, but if I was Amazon I would also want a satellite office in YVR especially if it meant I could pay some of my brightest and best educated staff - software developers - about half what I pay on average for their peers in Seattle.

[spanky123]

Where are all those new employees going to live? Vancouver already has too many inhabitants.

 

If the politicians were true to their words this would be being built in Chiliwack eg. where Amazon could build a housing village around the campus.

 

Yeah it is funny isn't it. They welcome Amazon in with open arms even though there is no room for the 3,000 employees so housing prices will shoot up. 

[spanky123]

Not to sound cynical because on balance IMO this is an excellent, exciting development for Vancouver bringing thousands more (relatively well paid) skilled workers downtown, but if I was Amazon I would also want a satellite office in YVR especially if it meant I could pay some of my brightest and best educated staff - software developers - about half what I pay on average for their peers in Seattle.

 

Many of the tech companies are using Vancouver as a layover for foreign workers while they await their permits to work in the US. Wages are part of it but not the primary driver.

 

Any bets as to whether Amazon makes a profit in Canada and thus pays taxes here?!

Edited by spanky123, 30 April 2018 - 08:48 PM.

[Mike K.]

It’s not even their building, remember. They’re just a tenant.

And in how many years will this 3,000 figure be achieved? By 2022, or 2035 and only if conditions permit?

[sdwright.vic]

So they are just going to pay lease on 40% a building and not staff it?