Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter recently met with key representatives from Amazon to congratulate the world’s largest online retailer on their latest investment and to welcome them to Durham Region.
They discussed Amazon’s announcement of two new facilities in Durham Region – a fulfillment centre and a delivery station facility. The new facilities will create hundreds of full-time jobs for Durham Region residents, with competitive hourly wages, comprehensive benefits and an industry-leading workplace. The facility will encompass leading-edge technologies that will require a skilled workforce.
“We are excited to learn of Amazon’s recent announcement of its plans to build a new fulfillment centre in the Region and the economic growth it will bring to Oshawa and our neighbouring communities,” said Mayor Dan Carter. “Oshawa is well-positioned to accelerate Amazon’s growth in the Region with an executive airport, rail connections, a deep-water port, and integrated transit network.”
During the meeting, Mayor Carter discussed Oshawa’s highly-skilled, well-trained and productive workforce. Home to three top-ranked post-secondary institutions with access to world-class educated students from over 140 countries, he noted that the post-secondary schools bring to the city both a dynamic part-time labour force and a talented labour pool through their numerous market-driven programs. The Mayor talked of Oshawa as a centre of excellence in healthcare and a hub for health and wellness education and training, medical services, and health technologies production.
“Oshawa has quickly become ‘the’ prime GTA location for business development – with available premium industrial land coupled with major highway access and a streamlined development approval process which recently ranked us as number one in the GTA. We welcome Amazon, and are well positioned to support the company’s local growth success and of course the many jobs and opportunities it brings with it to Durham Region,” said Regional Councillor Tito-Dante Marimpietri, Chair, Mayor’s Economic Recovery Task Force.
Mayor Carter spoke of Oshawa’s strong and vibrant local supply chain which is ready and able to provide services and products for worldwide distribution. He spoke of an innovative business-friendly city that offers a streamlined development approval process and zero industrial development charges. He highlighted that Oshawa recently ranked No. 1 for development approval timelines in a GTA benchmarking study, adding that amid COVID-19, Oshawa’s construction values are expected to near the $500 million dollar mark by year end.
The Mayor outlined the many assets the city has that could be beneficial to Amazon, including a connection to 120 million people across North America within days through its integrated connected transportation network that includes the Oshawa Executive Airport, access to a deep-water port, the 400 series highways and multiple rail access points.
The Mayor shared that adjacent to the Oshawa Executive Airport, 500 acres of land is being developed as the Northwood Business Park with proximity to the Highway 407 East, Ontario Tech University and Durham College.
As the meeting wrapped up, the Mayor stressed that Oshawa stands ready to help welcome and partner with Amazon – to find the right balance and opportunity that would see Oshawa, the Region of Durham, residents and local businesses benefiting from Amazon’s investment today and in future opportunities. He also welcomed the opportunity to have further discussions with the Amazon team in the months ahead and invited the Amazon team on a tour of Oshawa to visit in-person the city’s assets.
Earlier this year, the Mayor’s Economic Recovery Task Force identified a number of economic action items and ensuring that the city is well-positioned to embrace new opportunities as key to supporting the recovery and ongoing transformation of the local economy.
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