Quote:
Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse
Guys, I know we all love this City, but look at this like free agency in the NHL. On average, few UFA's have Edmonton (ha!) or Calgary at the top of their list unless it's family related.
Tech talent is being fought over like Oil and Gas did in the boom years. Want a dog daycare on site? Sure! Want a bunch of couches instead of desks to "collaborate"? Sure!
The "glamour" of the destination will be a large part of that appear in this war for talent. Saying your office in San Fran has cachet. Boston / Chicago could probably pull that off though they lose points for weather.
Saying you're going to Calgary because of the great tax breaks that the corporation will get? Cheap rent and tax incentives are not not going to help the recruiting war. If we were locating a data center - maybe, but it'll be tall order to get 50,000 people to buy into taking a role in the Calgary location over Seattle....
|
I agree with all of this. Though the idea of it all doesnt tug on my heartstrings nor do i love Calgary or have a strong sense of what some call civic pride for any place. Nothing wrong with the city of Calgary is submitting a bid, but the reality is there is almost zero chance of winning. Frankly Calgary has as much of a chance as Edmonton. Toronto truly would be the only one that I can see getting consideration for any of the Canadian cities.
The only reason why i can see Amazon choosing Toronto(besides in reality it is the New York city of Canada) is to prove a political point. Amazon choosing Seattle initially, which is a fairly liberal city, could just give Trump the big FU and move it to an international city. Not just cause of the policies in the USA these days, but the ability to recruit international immigrants for specific positions in Canada will certainly be easier in the event the USA keeps trending towards its current path. Even that is a stretch. Toronto would be a great choice though if they did want to get away from the US.
I know if i had an option to move to a place like San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta or Seattle, the idea of moving to Calgary/Edmonton would not be considered for a second. There just is very little to zero chance of any city in Alberta getting a sniff. Its just being realistic(not saying anyone truly believes Calgary has a chance as this thread is merely discussion). Any of the public statements in the media for this is purely for a feel good story. As mentioned by another poster no different than submitting a bid for the World cup or the summer olympics.