NDP Leader John Horgan on Monday welcomed Amazon’s announcement that 3,000 new jobs will be coming to Vancouver. “Amazon’s investment in Vancouver is a sign of confidence in our strong business climate, our talented people, and our strong recovery plan for BC,” said Horgan. “Under the BC NDP, we’ve worked with industry to invest and grow, and make life better for people here.” “The BC Liberals neglected the real needs of Vancouver, letting housing costs skyrocket and meanwhile leaving infrastructure and services to crumble,” said Horgan. “We’ve been working hard to make sure businesses like Amazon can hire the talent they need by making life better for people in this city — curbing speculation and making record investments in transit, schools, childcare, and strengthening healthcare. This decision is a sign of confidence that what’s good for people in this city is good for business here too, and a decisive nod to BC’s strong recovery.” Amazon has released its intentions to expand its footprint at the Post, leasing 18 floors in the building’s North Tower and 17 floors in its South Tower as its sole corporate tenant. This decision is part of a broader Canadian investment of 3,500 jobs in both Toronto and Vancouver. The NDP said that in just over three years, Horgan and the party have created 60,000 jobs in BC, which has the lowest unemployment in Canada. During this period, wages went up 17% — all while introducing successive balanced budgets that improved services for people and made life more affordable by eliminating MSP fees, road tolls and reducing rates at ICBC. After the global pandemic hit the economy, the NDP said it invested in a strong recovery with: * An unprecedented $8 billion investment to support people and kickstart the economy * A PST rebate on machinery and equipment so people can invest in their business * A 15% tax credit for hiring new employees or bringing British Columbians back to work * Grants to support 15,000 hard hit small and medium businesses while protecting 200,000 jobs * Grants for people to get trained in high-demand fields like health care and childcare, and 7,000 new family-supporting healthcare jobs to fight the pandemic The NDP said that with its focus on putting people at the centre of BC’s recovery, it is delivering results. |
