Toronto Mayor John Tory wants Amazon to set up shop in the city. The U.S.-based digital retailer announced on Sept. 7 that it plans to open a second headquarters – dubbed “HQ2” – in North America, one that could employ up to 50,000 workers.

“I will be leading the charge to make the case that Amazon should call Toronto home,” Tory tweeted shortly after the announcement.

 

In a press release, Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and CEO, says he expects “HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters. Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. We’re excited to find a second home.”

The location will be determined via a proposal process. In its release, Amazon’s list of preferences includes:

• Metropolitan areas with more than one million people
• A stable and business-friendly environment
• Urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent
• Communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options

HQ2 could be, but does not have to be:

• An urban or downtown campus
• A similar layout to Amazon’s Seattle campus
• A development-prepped site. We want to encourage states and communities to think creatively for viable real estate options, while not negatively affecting our preferred timeline.