Amazon to open Blair fulfillment centre this month, hire more than 250 people

Amazon Canada is looking to hire more than 250 people as it prepares to open its latest fulfilment centre in Blair.

The location on Old Mill Road is set to open on Sept. 29 and the hiring process is already underway.

The company said the new facility in Cambridge is almost one million square feet in size and will play a key role in supporting other fulfillment centres throughout southwestern Ontario during the upcoming holiday rush.

Amazon aims to launch with 250 employees to start – with the goal of expanding to hire up to 1,000 workers in the future.

A spokesperson for Amazon told CTV News they are looking to fill full-time positions.

Regular Amazon employees receive a benefits package including medical, vision and dental coverage and a group Registered Retirement Savings Plan.

Candidates are encouraged to apply online.

“Cambridge is one of the fastest growing and strongest economic areas in Canada and is a desirable place to be for both small and large businesses alike," said City Manager David Calder. "We wish Amazon a successful launch later this month and look forward to the job opportunities and economic impacts that this new facility will create for our local community.”

Amazon also operates a warehouse in Cambridge on Maple Grove Road.

Cambridge City Manager David Calder told CTV News, “Cambridge is one of the fastest growing and strongest economic areas in Canada and is a desirable place to be for both small and large businesses alike. We wish Amazon a successful launch later this month and look forward to the job opportunities and economic impacts that this new facility will create for our local community.”

Pushback from citizens

The fulfilment centre has faced significant pushback throughout its development.

Last year an Ontario Superior Court of Justice determined the City of Cambridge breached its own procedural bylaw during the building process.

The real estate company that built the centre for Amazon, Broccolini Real Estate Group Inc., obtained a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO), which was supported by council, to have the land zoned to include a “distribution warehouse.”

Council later voted to reject Broccolini’s application for approval, but then reversed the decision a few months later.

A citizen’s group, known as Blair Engaged, claimed council failed to give notice to reconsider the application, breaching the city’s own procedural bylaw.

In a decision, three judges ruled that the city did not owe Blair Engaged a duty of procedural fairness in making the decision. The ruling states council breached its procedural bylaw by failing to give adequate notice of the motion to reconsider the matter, but it did not act in bad faith.

Throughout construction, signs could be seen throughout the village of Blair claiming “Village of Blair: established 1803, destroy 2021 by MZO.”

Chamber of Commerce supports Amazon

The Cambridge Chamber of Commerce’s CEO, Greg Durocher, said he’s looking forward to the facility opening.

“I think it's very exciting day finally, after all of the turmoil of this plant and all of the construction elements of it,” Durocher said.

He said the facility being in Cambridge could really put the city on the map.

“Having a company like Amazon in your community or region is a bit of a magnet for other large companies [that] look and see where other big companies invest,” he said.

While Durocher believes gradual hiring works best, he predicts it won’t take long until they reach 1,000 employees.

“It's going to a stage process. [It] probably isn't in a sensible business plan to open up your doors and have your thousand employees there when this is a really big operation,” Durocher said.

He said he thinks Amazon will be looking for skilled workers and not just anyone to hire.

“It’s going to be a mid-skill job, there's no question about it. I think there are going to have to be attributes the individuals have that have knowledge of technology,” he said.

Durocher also said the location of the site, between border crossings in Detroit and Buffalo, is key. He said Amazon will benefit many different businesses down the road.

“I think that they're going to have very close working relationships with a lot of small and medium sized businesses in the tech sector, but also as partners in business with small and medium sized businesses in the region as well,” he said.

- With reporting from Colton Wiens