Amazon to expand Vancouver Tech Hub, create 3,000 jobs

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – In a move that’s expected to add 3,000 new jobs in the region, Amazon is set to revamp the old post office in Downtown Vancouver.

The tech giant is expanding its hub north of the company’s Seattle headquarters. The new tech hub will be built on top of the re-developed post office building — a cavernous structure which initially opened in 1958.

The 416,000 square foot building will be called the “Development Centre.”

Amazon’s general manager of web services Jesse Dougherty said the structure’s architectural heritage will be preserved, and the tower is expected to open in 2022.

Dougherty said the new corporate positions will be focused on e-commerce technology, cloud computing and machine learning.

“We chose to build and grow in Canada because we recognize the diverse and exceptionally talented workforce here,” he said.

“As a homegrown British Columbian and a software engineer, I am so proud of living and working in a city that is recognized worldwide as a first-rate global tech hub.”

Amazon opened its first software development site in Vancouver in 2011 and now has more than 1,000 employees.

“There are many reasons why industry giants like Amazon choose to settle and grow in Canada,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was at the announcement.

“Our workforce is highly educated, skilled, and diverse. Folks across the country are ready to take on the jobs of tomorrow and help companies like yours shape the future — a future where innovation drives economic growth and helps improve the lives of middle-class Canadians and people working hard to join it.”

Trudeau said innovation is a shared value between Amazon and Canadians.

“I think Canadians also believe that every day is Day 1. Generations of innovators, thinkers, and hard workers have made Canada what it is today: A country where new ideas are welcomed, talent thrives, and creativity flourishes.”

Amazon has unveiled images of two towers built into the Canada Post building on Georgia Street.

Amazon already has a 156,000 square foot office downtown, and has plans for another downtown site to open in 2020.

The addition of these 3,000 jobs in Vancouver will push Amazon’s total Canadian workforce to 9,000 employees.

Amazon says it expects to grow to 5,000 corporate employees in Vancouver in the coming years.

“Today’s announcement by Amazon reflects the strength of British Columbia’s economy and the talent of our people,” reads a joint statement from Premier John Horgan and the Jobs Minister Bruce Ralston.

“This investment will advance BC’s well-earned reputation as an innovation hub, and will promote growth in all sectors of our economy, in all regions.”

Dougherty said the company will build on its relationships with top Canadian universities, which he said are producing some of the best computer engineering students in the world.

“We’ve hired many graduates from schools right here in British Columbia,” he said, citing the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University as well as the universities of Toronto, Waterloo, and McGill.

Amazon is expected to announce its second North American headquarters, dubbed HQ2, sometime this year, with Toronto as the only Canadian city on the list of 20 finalists.