Amazon selects Caledon, 800 jobs promised

August 2, 2018 · 0 Comments

Written By SCOTT TAYLOR

In the midst of raving over the news Amazon will be building a fulfillment centre off Coleraine Road in Caledon, Mayor Allan Thompson acknowledged questions some in the town have concerning the projected increase in traffic — particularly truck traffic — that will likely make a slow drive on Highway 50 south of Bolton.

He also responded to complaints from two councillors, who have questioned why they were not informed beforehand that Amazon was negotiating to come to Caledon.

Real estate investment firm Blackwood Partners had purchased the land close by the Canadian Tire warehouse and had been negotiating with a series of companies over its use.

“Blackwood Partners are the ones that came in, purchased the land, assembled the land, they’re the builders of the property and they’re the ones that have the contract with Amazon,” Thompson said. “Amazon did approach us, and like most big companies they always want to keep things confidential while everything is being finalized, and basically that was the process. So it was really myself and the CEO who knew it was Amazon.”

Still, once the deal was done Thompson didn’t know exactly when Amazon would finally spread the news. Once the company did give the town the green light to write up a media release, some important details were still kept under wraps.

“We kind of had a feeling within 24 hours something was going to be released, and we did reach out to the media to say ‘stay tuned, there may be something coming, but we can’t say who it is.’ Even our communications (staff) didn’t know who it was.”

He described the release town communications staff fashioned as one with blanks where the company’s name would go so even insiders wouldn’t be wise.

As negotiations between the land owner and Amazon continued, Thompson said there was never any time when it appeared as though the company might be having second thoughts. All the necessary studies, zoning plans and building permits were completed ahead of deadline — still without knowledge of who the potential suiter was.

“This is no different than many other applications that we have come through.”

The 800 full-time jobs will have a strong ripple effect in the community, he added, while serving to give young people a paying job while they further their education.

“This is huge for Caledon. We’re just coming off the Youth Summit back in May and the focus was where is it that we can get jobs so we can stay here and work and play? I know that as a community, we’re always saying that. We want to work, live and play in the same community. An employer like Amazon is great that way. If you look at them globally, they have over 16,000 people at any one time who are completing their education for nurses, doctor, lawyers, just about anything you can think of, and they’re all employees of Amazon. I think it’s really important that we have an employer that’s here for the long term. They bring a good tax base and job security. I can’t think of anything better. This is a huge win for Caledon.”

He estimated Amazon’s tax base per year to be about $3 million.

Meanwhile, all that glitters is not necessarily gold when it comes to traffic. Between the 427 and the cut off at Coleraine, truck traffic is only going to increase substantially with the new elephant in the room. Some residents predict gridlock.

“Its (going to increase), but Coleraine is going right down to Rutherford Road, which is where the new 427 will be so by the time Amazon is going full bore, we’re hoping to have the 427 up and working. If everything works right . . . this will be good thing. I don’t think the traffic is going to be as impactful as people think. Since the 427 has been held off for so long . . . the road is just clogged. We need other access roads so it’s very important. Residents are very frustrated trying to get up and down that corridor. It’s very clogged.”

Thompson said he’s in regular contact with the province about the 427 and believes it’s a priority for the new government.

The centre is expected to be up and running by the end of next year.

We asked, Amazon answered:

What is a fulfillment centre exactly?

Amazon fulfillment centres are where associates pick, pack and ship customer orders.

Is it 24/7?

There are two 10-hour shifts each day, morning and night.

Is it unionized?

We respect the individual rights of our associates. Amazon has an open-door policy that encourages associates to bring their comments, questions and concerns directly to their management team. We firmly believe this direct connection is the most effective way to understand and respond to the needs of our workforce.

How many packages would move through the facility on a daily or yearly basis? Amazon ships hundreds of thousands of customer orders a day.