Pros and cons to Amazon
Re What’s good for Amazon is not good for Toronto, Opinion, Jan. 24 It’s important for Amazon to realize that Eric Starkman’s cynical, poisoned attitude is not representative of the vast majority of Torontonians.
So many of us — our relatives, friends and neighbours — have lost our children to the United States because Canada has not produced enough hi-tech jobs for their training. So many of those who stayed behind are working in part-time or low-paid positions, their education wasted.
Even in our own neighbourhood, so many single-family homes are housing two to four generations because the jobs/ wages/housing situation doesn’t allow the newly married to move out.
With 50,000 high-paid jobs up for grabs, how many of these young people would have the opportunity to start a family in their own dwelling or to return from out of country?
Starkman’s petty arguments are minuscule compared to the better quality of life offered these lucky millennials. Betty Post, Toronto
“(Jeff Bezos) has made public statements that the mission of Amazon is to become not the number-one retailer in the world, but the only retailer in the world. Imagine what that would do to small business.” ROBIN ALTER TORONTO
Thank you, Eric Starkman, for speaking the unspeakable. No, we definitely don’t want Amazon in Canada. The jobs it might bring are not respectful to workers and Jeff Bezos has made it clear he’s not interested in contributing to the communities in which he makes his billions.
His contributions to charities, which only came after public shaming, are a pittance compared to the amount of money he is putting in his own pocket.
He has made public statements that the mission of Amazon is to become not the number-one retailer in the world, but the only retailer in the world. Imagine what that would do to small business.
Yes, we would still be able to buy products, all from Jeff, but it would change the fabric of our society. What would our streets be like if there were no small businesses? No more storefront windows to look at, no opportunity to browse, no way to touch the clothes before you buy, no advice from someone who is knowledgeable?
And what would happen to all the people who no longer had an opportunity to put their creativity into their livelihood? I believe this is a greater threat than Walmart and other big-box stores, which have already had a huge negative impact on small business.
And do we really want to put all that power in one individual? Remember, we all vote with our pocketbooks and how we vote makes a difference. I for one am going to think long and hard before I put any more money in Jeff Bezos’s pocket. I hope you do the same. Robin Alter, Toronto
Eric Starkman should continue to use his talents writing TV shows, as his opinion piece is full of fiction.
For example, his statement that “Amazon has to pay top dollar to attract employees, which will drive wages . . .”
Amazon will pay just enough to attract employees. It is a business and won’t be throwing money away. Rob Graham, Claremont, Ont. Toronto and the 300-kilometre-wide peninsula bounded by Great Lakes present a unique opportunity for development. Everywhere, growth has brought problems of traffic and congestion, in cities and suburbs, with high economic costs. But the commitment to high-speed rail in Ontario can offer distributed growth, proximity to local resources and international access to attract and develop world-class talent.
An interconnected network from Toronto to Windsor would promote regional development, with routes crossing into London and Hamilton, extending into the northwest suburbs and the Niagara peninsula. Each stop could integrate residential and commercial development, with short travel times and without going outside.
Looking to prepare his company for the future, Jeff Bezos may find mobility of people the advantage he is seeking. David Sims, Boston, Mass.
The history of Amazon’s rise as a powerful online monopoly and its practices are largely unknown to people. What the average person knows about Amazon is an internet retailer that provides cheap goods with fast delivery. However, cheapness and speed come at a cost.
Amazon is not a retailer like any other we have seen before. It is a vast 21stcentury digital monopoly that has skilfully manoeuvred around the U.S. antitrust laws and, with a predatory pricing system, spread its tentacles far and deep. Amazon accounts for more than 40 per cent of online retail sales in the U.S., with more revenue than the next top 10 online retailers combined. Any move that Amazon makes has a long-term strategic element, with the idea of extending its power with little regard to the interest of citizens of the community. No city like Toronto, with caring neighbourhoods and communities, should want an Amazon headquarters in their back yard. The interests of those who advocate for an Amazon headquarters in Toronto are not necessarily the same as the interests of ordinary Torontonians and businesses. People of Toronto should carefully study both sides of the argument and decide. Ali Orang, Richmond Hill