Amazon Creates 750 Jobs With New Fulfillment Centre in Calgary

The odds may be low for Calgary to land Amazon’s new HQ2, but the city just may have gotten the next best thing.

Amazon announced plans to open a brand new distribution centre in Alberta’s largest city, creating 750 new full-time jobs. The new warehouse will total 600,000 square feet and be located just outside city limits in Balzac’s Nose Creek Business Park. Construction on the new location will begin in the spring, which in itself will create 150 jobs.

Fulfillment centres are the lifeblood of Amazon’s massive e-commerce platform, as the warehouses are where most orders from customers are received, packaged and sent out.

“We are excited to continue our growth in Canada and especially in the greater Calgary community, where we’ve already received great community support,” said Glenn Sommerville, Canadian operations director at Amazon. “Our ability to create more than 750 good-paying jobs with great benefits is the result of our dedicated workforce across the country who continue to raise the bar on operational excellence and customer obsession.”

The company has over 4,000 employees across Canada already, but this announcement marks Amazon’s first big foray into Alberta. There are four distribution centres in Toronto, two in Vancouver, and corporate offices across the country.

“We are pleased Amazon has chosen to grow and create jobs in the Calgary region,” said Alberta’s premier Rachel Notley. “As we look for our economy to recover and diversify, companies like Amazon will play a strong role in positioning Alberta as a national leader in industry and innovation.”

Calgary was one of 238 cities to bid for Amazon’s new HQ2, employing several tactics to gain the company’s attention. It seems like they did not need to, as the city was on the e-commerce behemoth’s radar all along. This announcement does not necessarily rule Calgary out, as it could even mean a stronger chance based on a newly-formed working relationship.