Wynne welcomes Amazon in Canada
Premier says Ontario is taking a leadership role in technological change affecting parts of economy
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne helped publicly launch Amazon’s Canadian headquarters in Toronto on Tuesday, saying that Ontario is better off leading than following the technological revolution that is upending entire segments of the economy, including retail.
“There is no doubt that some of the uncertainty that we are feeling in the economy, some of the uncertainty that is felt globally, has to do with — at least in part — with technology,” said Wynne, responding to questions after a press conference at Amazon Canada headquarters on Bremner Blvd., overlooking the Rogers Centre.
“We have a choice at this point. We can either choose to be concerned and we can retrench and say, ‘Well, we’re not going to take part,’ and then we will have to follow those changes, or we could take the leadership role,” Wynne said.
“We are choosing to take the leadership role in Ontario because we have the talent, we have the capacity in our education system; we are ready to play that leadership role.”
Wynne’s remarks come at a time of unprecedented upheaval in the retail sector, including the announcement last week that Amazon — after fundamentally changing the way consumers shop for books, electronics and apparel — is acquiring premium food retailer Whole Foods Markets Inc. for $13.7 billion (U.S.), creating a new level of competition for grocers.
Tamir Bar-Haim, head of advertising for Amazon Canada, said he had no comment on the Whole Foods acquisition. Similarly, he had nothing to offer Canadians who are hoping to see Amazon’s popular Alexa service launch here.
“The team is focused on adding capabilities . . . for individuals to interact with devices in a much more natural way using voice, and we’re always looking for feedback from our customers on products and services they want us to add,” Bar-Haim said.
Amazon began staffing the Bremner Blvd. office in 2015, but Tuesday’s event marked the public launch of the facility, which employs 600 people on five floors. The company said it is seeking to hire another 200 people in Canada. Country-wide, Amazon employs 3,500 people full-time.
“We love the city of Toronto — we find that people in Toronto are just a really great fit with Amazon in general, where employees are empowered to think big and invent on behalf of customers,” Bar-Haim said.
Wynne said that while Amazon is driving change, it is also creating opportunities for small businesses by offering them a global selling platform. She pointed to provincial funding for post-secondary education as an example of the government investing in employment, while also maintaining a competitive environment for businesses.