Amazon To Build Fulfillment Centre In Ottawa, Create 600 Jobs

Amazon said on Tuesday it planned to build a new fulfillment centre in Ottawa that would create more than 600 full-time jobs. The 1-million square foot customer fulfillment facility, to be built in Ottawa’s eastern suburb of Orleans, is Amazon’s 8^th in Canada, and fifth in Ontario. The e-commerce giant employs more than 2,000 full-time employees at its existing Ontario facilities in Mississauga, Brampton, and Milton.

“Ontario continues to be a great place for Amazon to do business and we look forward to adding a fulfillment centre in the National Capital Region,” said Glenn Sommerville, Director of Amazon Operations in Canada. “Our ability to expand in Ontario and create more than 600 new jobs is the result of two things: incredible customers and an outstanding workforce. Amazon is committed to providing great opportunities for employment and creating a positive economic impact for the region.”

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The Ottawa announcement comes at a time when Amazon is searching for a home for its second North American headquarters, it calls HQ2. Toronto is the only Canadian city still in the running to house the headquarters, whose location Amazon said it will announce this year.

Real estate developer Broccolini will build the new facility in Ottawa. Broccolini is the developer behind the forthcoming CBC and Radio-Canada headquarters, as well as a 50-storey, mixed use tower across from the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Ottawa city councillor Stephen Blais said he expects construction of the Ottawa fulfillment centre will create more than 1,500 new jobs for construction workers.

A handful of politicians from all levels of government welcomed the Ottawa announcement; they praised the potential growth the new facility could bring to Ontario and the country.

“We applaud Amazon for making this investment, and we look forward to doing our part to help other top employers create and protect good jobs in our province,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford in a statement. “Ontario is open for business.”