The CEO of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce says the Amazon operations facility slated for the Burnside Industrial Park, highlights what is coming our way here in Nova Scotia.
In an interview with Acadia News, Don Bureaux says after years of searching for business opportunities to come to us, it’s fascinating what is happening in Halifax.
“What we need to focus on now is making sure that we as a business community, both for profit and not for profit, are ready to meet the moment and be ready to maximize and leverage this incredible opportunity,” says Bureaux.
What is coming?
A new $200 million Amazon hub, three times the size of IKEA, encompassing a 1.2 million square foot radius at 1311 Burnside.
Bureaux says something like this is exciting and puts Halifax as a ‘tier one’ investment location and that a couple of things shifted to get us here, including where Canada is now positioned in the world.
He says for decades Canada was guilty of being passive went it came to our economic development.
“In this new world, we have to recognize that we have to think differently,” says Bureaux.
Second, he says investments from Ottawa in sovereignty and the military contributed as well as the general economy.
In fact, Bureaux says, up to 1,500 jobs could be created in the new facility.
“Which is exciting,” explains Bureaux. “We’re certainly seeing a large demand for other positions emerging right now as a result of this economic boom.”
Questions remain…
There is a much smaller processing Amazon facility in Burnside that will be shut down as a result of the bigger location.
Bureaux was unsure of what will happen to it but does say that with the larger location we could be looking at same-day delivery.
“We’re certainly hearing that will be one of the key success factors. To get closer to the marketplace, to the consumer and to improve that delivery time.”
It is also still unclear when the new hub will open but he says something of this scale, takes time.
“There’s a lot of development happening at the land and then the construction,” explains Bureaux. “It’s going to be something that is going to take a while.”
However, he says, a place like this gets the attention of investors and expansion plans.
“We going to see even more, I believe, announcements like this coming our way.”
