286 replies to this topic

[Jackerbie]

Wow.

 

CBC just put out a list of Canadian cities vying for HQ2 as its been dubbed. Langford isn't even on their list as sincere entry, but the author did pay a tiny ode to the Victoria suburb with a 19 word mention at the butt-end of Vancouver's bid details.

 

Thank you, CBC, for not caring enough about a serious contender in your own country and choosing to mention no more than Langford's "affordable" housing and proximity to universities. http://www.cbc.ca/ne...anada-1.4363929

 

It is by no means a complete list. Richmond isn't even mentioned. 

[VicHockeyFan]

If they are smart (and they probably are) they will short-list now, and really make those ante up more perks.

[Mike K.]

It is by no means a complete list. Richmond isn't even mentioned. 

 

Richmond would be considered part of Vancouver's overall bid, whether or not it lands in one municipality or the other.

 

But Langford's bid is really Victoria's bid. That's more or less how they treated the Richmond bid, so why not treat Langford's bid as such? Why minimize the Langford bid as nothing more than "affordable housing" and access to universities? That's so lame.

[thundergun]

I haven't read the article, but if the bid doesn't meet many of the requirements set out by Amazon (1 million + people, established rapid transit, etc.) then I have no problem with it being overlooked, as the Langford bid surely will be.

As someone else suggested, Halifax was included only to fulfill the coast to coast Canada mandate CBC needs.

I think a story is being made here where one doesn't exist. HQ2 will go to a city of at least Calgary/Austin size.

[VicHockeyFan]

All Amazon has to do it google us and they will see we can not even fix the Malahat or the Colwood Crawl, despite years of complaining about them.  Hardly the place that can be expected to simply absorb 50,000 more workers.

[Fixerdave]

^^I do agree there are 8 million people in a 100 mile radius, but being on an Island it takes forever to get to the other 7.5 million and its extremely expensive.  How many people over here decide to pop over to Vancouver for a hockey game or dinner?  Extremely few I bet

 

When I lived in Vancouver I remember driving down to Seattle for the day for shopping, or lunch, etc

 

This is the flip-side to the "island vibe."  It's like camping... relaxing because there's no way you could actually do any of the 128 different things on your todo list, so you just sit there poking the fire.  On the island, it costs too much to bother driving across the border shopping, so you buy local or mail order and then go get a coffee.  Sounds more relaxing that lining up at the Peace Arch and going through the "Ver are your papers" routine.  Such is life on an island.

 

As I've said before, if it's about the workers, then Vancouver.  If it's about the executives, then Victoria (Langford) has a better than decent shot.  I think it's about the executives, and the decision isn't going to be about ferry costs.  It will be about how close the helicopter can land to the HQ, and that will be "anywhere they want" aka "on the roof" in Langford.

 

 

If they are smart (and they probably are) they will short-list now, and really make those ante up more perks.

 

Absolutely going to happen, unless something like Langford is actually on the short-list and they figure it's too obviously a done-deal.  I mean, if the shortlist includes Langford and New Jersey... you KNOW that New Jersey isn't going to win.  If New Jersey had a shot, the other cities would be like Austin and Toronto.

 

David...

Edited by Fixerdave, 23 October 2017 - 10:36 AM.

[Mike K.]

bcIMC followed that approach and built itself a new headquarters in downtown Victoria. They could have easily chosen to build it in Vancouver but opted to have a satellite office there instead.

 

There's definitely something to be said about smaller cities in an interconnected world. Your physical presence is less and less relevant in the modern era, and I think that's what society in general is having a difficult time coming to terms with (the youth get it, but the 45.

 

There's absolutely no way Vancouver or Toronto will qualify due to the incredibly restrictive cost of housing. Even at $125k per year, your average employee at HQ2 won't qualify for anything more than a one-bedroom apartment. How attractive is that in a country with more land than it knows what to do with? The cost to operate is also very high in both centres, so high in fact that it'll make such an operation very costly to maintain.

[lanforod]

Cost of housing isn't exactly a draw to Victoria or even Langford though. Not compared to many of the other cities bidding.

[Mike K.]

For the wages these workers will earn, Victoria is well within the affordability range. Especially out on the West Shore.

[lanforod]

Yes, but not compared to the other cities bidding... Austin's average SFH price is like, 30 or 40% lower than greater Victoria's, and less than Langford's alone. If you ranked it on a scale of 1 to 10, Vancouver being a 1, Langford is probably a 5, Austin a 8, and Winnipeg a 10.

[Bingo]

It is by no means a complete list. Richmond isn't even mentioned. 

Because their building will disappear in a major earthquake.

[shoeflack]

238 cities (EDIT: Whoops! Fixed link) from 54 states, provinces, and districts across North America are bidding for HQ2, says Amazon.

 

Edited by shoeflack, 23 October 2017 - 11:49 AM.

[VicHockeyFan]

Proper LINK.

[Bingo]

How about the bridge in that Chicago photo.

 

 

Chicago, Illinois

Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg

Edited by Bingo, 23 October 2017 - 01:33 PM.

[Jackerbie]

 

How about the bridge in that Chicago photo.

 

Very interesting! There's a similar looking bridge in Montreal

[aastra]

Those dumpy old towns need to get with modern times.

[Bingo]

Yeah, but the CEO of Amazon might like bascule bridges, and we have what's left of one that could be moved to Langford.

[johnk]

Very interesting! There's a similar looking bridge in Montreal
Capture.PNG

Yes, over the Lachine Canal. Crossed it many times.

[LJ]

It would be awful funny if Amazon picked somewhere in Mexico. Somebody would have a shxt fit.

[manuel]

So where would the various Canadian cities that applied rank for Amazon?

Toronto top 5 or 10
Montreal, Ottawa , Calgary and Vancouver top 30
Halifax and Winnipeg- top 100
Langford and Nadina- top 200

Langford doesn't have a big enough regional population, no rapid transit (save the goose going into victoria), a tier 3 airport, small universities and a small tech sector. It does have relatively cheap (by west coast bc standards) housing and some natural capital going for it.

Not going to cut it for Amazon. Good earned advertising for Stew and Langford itself.