Mississauga’s Chances for Amazon’s Second North American Headquarters are Slipping Away

We made the bid as part of Toronto Region, and many of us thought it might happen, but now, it seems that Mississauga’s chances at Amazon’s new North American Headquarters – “HQ2” – are slipping away before our eyes.

Or did we ever have a shot in the first place?

That’s up for debate! 

What’s not up for debate, though, is that Toronto Region’s bid – which includes Brampton, Toronto, Mississauga, Durham Region, York Region, and Halton Region – for HQ2 has ranked 12th out of all 64 locations for where HQ2 might be most likely to set up shop across Canada and the United States on Sperling’s Best Places.

Basically, Sperling’s has compiled this super-list based on “18 of the most reputable lists and rankings and rankings of potential HQ2 locations” including CNBC, New York Times, CNN, and Moody’s Analytics.

Before we question Toronto Region’s ranking, there are a few reasons why a 12th place ranking might be a good thing (that is – if you’re rooting for HQ2 to come here).

First, Toronto Region has ranked the highest of any Canadian city on Sperling’s list, making it the most likely location for Amazon HQ2 in all of Canada. There’s no mention of even one other Canadian city until all the way down the list at number 55 – Calgary – followed by Montreal at number 56, Ottawa at number 61, and Vancouver coming in last at number 64. 

Then, Toronto Region has a score under 40 (the lower the score the better, and scores range from 13.6-49.6 on the list), and it’s among the top 20 places where HQ2 is most likely to set up shop. 

But it’s still 12th place. 

Toronto Region is just shy of the top 10, with Atlanta topping the list, followed by Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. Then come Austin, Dallas, Denver, New York, Raleigh, and Pittsburgh, all before Toronto.

Why did Atlanta come in first, you ask?

“In our Amazon Hyper-Ranking, the metro area of Atlanta is the clear winner, with six 1st-place selections,” says Sperling’s. “Atlanta was cited by many studies and articles as being large enough to absorb the expected 50,000 new Amazon workers, being a major air hub, and having a reasonable cost of living.”

Amazon is indeed locked and loaded with the promise of investing over $5 billion in construction and operation of HQ2 and creating 50,000 new jobs for their chosen city.

“We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. “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.”

It’s no surprise that cities across North America have been vying for HQ2 like it’s an attractive bachelor.

“The Toronto Region is ready for Amazon,” said a statement from the Mayors and Chairs of the cities and regions.

“The company already has a strong presence in the area, with more than two-million square feet of operational footprint across the Toronto Region. With ready access to major markets, a compelling cost structure, and sophisticated U.S. and international connectivity, there has never been a better time for Amazon to choose the Toronto Region.”

Just over two months since Amazon announced it was looking for a new home, the giant hasn’t peeped about which city or region it’s leaning towards.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

To see Sperling’s full list, click here.