Canada’s High Tech Capital, part of Toronto Global bid for Amazon HQ2

Canada’s High Tech Capital, part of Toronto Global bid for Amazon HQ2

Statement from Frank Scarpitti, Mayor of Markham

Statement from Frank Scarpitti, Mayor of Markham:Canada’s High Tech Capital, part of Toronto Global bid for Amazon HQ2

“We are thrilled to hear Amazon has included Toronto Global’s bid on the shortlist for its second headquarters. Markham is proud to be a part of that bid which demonstrates our strength as a region to compete globally. We look forward to further region-wide cooperation.”

Why Markham? We are the home to the largest ICT sector concentration per population in Canada. York University has recently opened a new campus, and a number of leading financial services and data centre companies are ready to facilitate Amazon’s future operations. We have the lowest industrial and commercial tax rates in the GTA, and approximately 60% of our residents have a post-secondary education. Tomorrow marks the official opening of GM’s new Canadian Technical Centre, further solidifying Markham’s position as the high-tech hub.

“Markham is a leader in municipal innovation,” says Mayor Scarpitti. “Our vision is to transform the city into a living lab, a digital destination for an emerging economy. We have a growing pool of talent, especially with the addition of a state-of-the-art York University Campus.”

Downtown Markham is a rapidly growing, leading mixed-use community with a master-planned high-density residential, retail and commercial development. Strategically located in the Greater Toronto Area, located adjacent to major urban office nodes and arterial roads, we are shovel ready, with room to grow!

“The tech giant wants to be near a metropolitan area with more than a million people,” says Mayor Scarpitti. “Within 45 minutes of an international airport, have direct access to mass transit and the ability to expand Amazon’s second headquarters to as much as 8 million square feet in the next decade; Markham checks all those boxes.”

Of the 10,400 companies in Markham, the city is home to global tech leaders including IBM, AMD, GM, Redline Communications, Real Matters, Huawei Technologies, Lenovo, GE Energy, Toshiba, CDI, and Qualcomm.

Media Inquiries:

Lama Nicolas, Senior Communications Advisor

lnicolas@markham.ca

416-671-2890