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Amazon HQ2 bid by Langford/Westshore in Victoria


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#261 Bingo

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Posted 05 November 2018 - 10:22 PM

New rumour is that there are going to be two cities named, Crystal City is one, Houston and Long Island are the others named.

 

Finally ...now can we LOCK this ridiculous thread.


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#262 On the Level

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Posted 05 November 2018 - 10:36 PM

^The real issue is no other municipality wants the CoV issues which were brought onto themselves.  While I would never live in Langford, I do admire what Stew Young has done to Langford in 20 or so years or leadership, and basically single handedly

 

What frustrates me most of all is candidates who say they want affordable housing but also don't want to change anything.  In my mind there is only one way to create affordable housing - either allow more condos or allow subdivision to create smaller lots.  Most of the Saanich Peninsula is multi acre lots, but the only thing they grow is a lot of lawns.  Not sure if amalgamating will change any of that

 

Personally I think we will only see a lot of change as the older generation die off.  Far too many 50+ people here still don't have a clue about affordability, after all they paid 100k for their house, whats the big deal?

 

Edit:  wait, how the heck did we start talking about this in the Amazon thread lol

 

Yes and no.  It was the CoV population that pushed for the Westshore after the backlash of all of the 1960/70s apartment blocks.   That was where the CRD budget came from to push major sewer lines out there and punching through the highway expansion in the 1990s.  

 

There is no Amazon coming to Langford, but there might be something smaller in the next 10 to 20 years.  It's the only place in the CRD that could support a major player without public backlash poisoning the whole thing.  



#263 lanforod

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Posted 06 November 2018 - 09:10 AM

New rumour is that there are going to be two cities named, Crystal City is one, Houston and Long Island are the others named.

 

Dallas and NYC (I guess maybe that's Long Island) are others I've read. 

Wait and see I guess. Probably just pitching for twice the incentives.



#264 spanky123

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Posted 06 November 2018 - 09:17 AM

Dallas and NYC (I guess maybe that's Long Island) are others I've read. 

Wait and see I guess. Probably just pitching for twice the incentives.

 

100% correct. Standard sales tactic. Get the cities to offer up 100% of the incentives and then give them 50% of the promise.



#265 AllseeingEye

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Posted 12 November 2018 - 09:19 PM

Not a huge surprise but multiple media sources including CBC and CNN are reporting tonight that "HQ2" will be announced tomorrow and will be split between NYC and northern Virginia, both of which had been pegged some time ago as highly likely locations for the new Amazon office facilities.



#266 tjv

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Posted 13 November 2018 - 08:05 AM

^yes its been officially confirmed as those locations.  I have to wonder if those locations will roll back the incentives as they are only getting 1/2 of what was promised?



#267 Citified.ca

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Posted 28 November 2018 - 11:47 AM

Victoria might not have attracted the likes of Amazon, but a report from CBRE nevertheless identifies the Capital Region as one of the nation's top technology hubs.
 
Victoria ranks high among Canada's leading tech towns: industry report
https://victoria.cit...ndustry-report/
 
Victoria’s emergence on a high-profile tech industry ranking identifying Canada’s leading technology clusters underpins the Capital’s role as a centre for innovation and a welcoming environment for start-ups.
 
A report issued by commercial real-estate brokerage CBRE has identified the south Island as a rising star among Canada’s 20 key tech clusters, otherwise known as urban centres with an established tech industry, that are critical to ensuring start-ups have access to investor capital, unique supports and opportunities to secure sufficient human resources.
 
“Victoria’s debut on CBRE’s list is at a very respectable number-ten spot,” says Ross Marshall, Vice-President of CBRE’s Victoria office.
 
“This is the first time the list has been expanded to include more than ten technology clusters and Victoria placing in the top-ten confirms what so many of us have suspected, that the region plays an integral role on a national scale.” [Full article]
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#268 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 14 February 2019 - 09:38 AM

looks like amazon is giving up on new york

#269 Jackerbie

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Posted 14 February 2019 - 10:00 AM

looks like amazon is giving up on new york

 

Yah, the world's richest man thought that the general public would be OK with their taxes subsidizing his company to the tune of $3 billion.


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#270 PraiseKek

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Posted 17 February 2019 - 05:30 PM

Actually NY just lost out on billions of tax dollars. You can't tax ZERO which is what's left now. It's a concept that's pretty simple to grasp really.



#271 sdwright.vic

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Posted 17 February 2019 - 07:11 PM

Especially since NYC has a personal income tax on anyone that works in the city. Whether you live in the city or not!
Predictive text and a tiny keyboard are not my friends!

#272 LJ

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Posted 17 February 2019 - 07:14 PM

Actually NY just lost out on billions of tax dollars. You can't tax ZERO which is what's left now. It's a concept that's pretty simple to grasp really.

These are the same sort of folks that think "budgets balance themselves."


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#273 spanky123

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Posted 18 February 2019 - 09:56 AM

Yah, the world's richest man thought that the general public would be OK with their taxes subsidizing his company to the tune of $3 billion.

 

The "subsidy" was in the form of a tax holiday for a period of time. Presumably Amazon would have paid for more in other forms of tax then they would have saved in property taxes. No different then the tax holidays that Victoria council plans to give to developers who build affordable housing. 



#274 tjv

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Posted 18 February 2019 - 11:56 AM

looks like amazon is giving up on new york

maybe Langford thinks they have a shot again haha



#275 VIResident

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Posted 20 February 2019 - 05:23 AM

The problem for Amazon is it is a 'they' instead of an 'it', 'they' = people, persons, founders, families etc. and they appeared to be behaving like a large predator.  They were. 

People, persons, founders, families generally don't squeeze their family, neighbours, schools, hospitals and so on for money.

Corporations do.

 

The push to be authentic, have a personality, in essence to be a human vs. what it really is, a corporation, is punishing plenty of businesses.

In the case of Amazon the 'authentic founder' is the 'face', approachable etc. 

 

Sensing blood-in-the-water some politicians ran with it.

 

Amazon figured it out, almost too late and pulled-the-pin - Amazon saved the 'corporation' from an absolute PR nightmare that certainly would have gone global with huge consequences for Amazon.  Bet we won't be seeing this size of corporation running another "no-tax for jobs & development" campaign anytime soon.  

 

PS.  Mayor of Langford should take note.


Edited by VIResident, 20 February 2019 - 05:24 AM.


#276 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 20 February 2019 - 05:31 AM

they probably did play it poorly. they will get better.

#277 VIResident

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Posted 20 February 2019 - 06:22 AM

they probably did play it poorly. they will get better.

An AI certainty.



#278 Jackerbie

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Posted 20 February 2019 - 08:24 AM

The problem for Amazon is it is a 'they' instead of an 'it', 'they' = people, persons, founders, families etc. and they appeared to be behaving like a large predator.  They were. 

People, persons, founders, families generally don't squeeze their family, neighbours, schools, hospitals and so on for money.

Corporations do.

 

The push to be authentic, have a personality, in essence to be a human vs. what it really is, a corporation, is punishing plenty of businesses.

In the case of Amazon the 'authentic founder' is the 'face', approachable etc. 

 

Sensing blood-in-the-water some politicians ran with it.

 

Amazon figured it out, almost too late and pulled-the-pin - Amazon saved the 'corporation' from an absolute PR nightmare that certainly would have gone global with huge consequences for Amazon.  Bet we won't be seeing this size of corporation running another "no-tax for jobs & development" campaign anytime soon. 

 

PS.  Mayor of Langford should take note.

 

Google was about to ask Toronto for a cut of Development Cost Charges and property taxes as part of their Sidewalk Labs development. They have a bit of a PR nightmare now.



#279 Rob Randall

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Posted 27 February 2019 - 07:08 PM

Sounds like we dodged a bullet not having to deal with these guys. They seem like real jerks.

 

Amazon threatened to abandon a prominent downtown Seattle office project if the the city imposed a so-called head tax. The city ultimately did not impose the tax, and now Amazon is abandoning the project anyway.https://www.seattlet...ned_buffer_tw_m

 

The annual tax of $275 per employee on companies grossing at least $20 million per year would have raised about $47 million in 2019 for low-income housing and homeless services. Kshama Sawant, one of two council members who opposed the repeal, described Amazon’s Rainier Square announcement Wednesday as a “told you so” moment.

“This is a good reminder for us that backing down to the bullying of corporations never stops their bullying,” said Sawant, praising activists in New York City who protested tax breaks for Amazon, causing the company to pull out from its campus plans there.

 


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#280 todd

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Posted 10 May 2019 - 02:18 PM

So a family member as of a couple weeks ago started getting from amazon sex toys and other items she claims she never ordered. https://www.cbc.ca/n...kages-1.4506318

I’ve been waiting by my mail slot nothing for me yet :mad:.

Edited by todd, 10 May 2019 - 02:22 PM.

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