Toronto is the only Canadian city on Amazon Inc.’s short list of 20 candidates for a second North American headquarters.The e-commerce giant released Thursday its short list of 20 candidates for the facility — out of 238 cities that applied last year — which is expected to house up to 50,000 employees.Bids poured in from Canadian cities from coast to coast as both major urban centres like Montreal and Halifax vied with smaller dark-horse competitors such as Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.In the end, however, Toronto was the only Canadian city to make the short list, where it stands alongside American metropolises such as Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Atlanta.“Getting from 238 to 20 was very tough,” Amazon said in a tweet announcing the short list. “All the proposals showed tremendous enthusiasm and creativity.”Toronto Mayor John Tory celebrated the news that the city and surrounding municipalities were in contention.“Last year, I said I would put the Toronto Region up against any city in North America as the place for ambitious, forward-looking companies looking for a home,” he said in a statement touting Toronto’s talent, quality of life and vibrancy. “I’m glad that Amazon agrees that Toronto is worth considering.”Seattle-based Amazon had stipulated in September that it was seeking to be near a metropolitan area with more than a million people; be able to attract top technical talent; be within 45 minutes of an international airport; have direct access to mass transit; and be able to expand that headquarters to as much as 8 million square feet in the next decade. But Amazon also made clear in that it wanted tax breaks, grants and any other incentives.When the unusual public contest was announced in September, it set off a public charm offensive by the applicants, with many local officials trying to entice Amazon with tax breaks and other benefits.Read more: More than 100 cities ...
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