Amazon is opening a new fulfillment centre in Leduc County, south of Edmonton. The new centre will create more than 600 full-time jobs by 2020. The one-million-square-foot customer fulfillment facility will be Amazon’s second in Alberta, where it currently employs more than 1,500 full-time associates in Rocky View County.

Once open, the new facility will be Amazon’s 11th fulfillment facility in Canada and joins Amazon’s current fulfillment centres in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.

Associates at the facility will pick, pack and ship larger customer items such as outdoor equipment, patio furniture and bicycles. Full-time employees at Amazon receive competitive hourly wages, medical, vision and dental coverage, RRSP contribution matching, stock awards, and performance-based bonuses starting on day one.

“This announcement by Amazon is another vote of confidence in the Edmonton region as an economic hub in Alberta,” said Amarjeet Sohi, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Mill Woods and Minister of Natural Resources. “The new centre will spark economic activity and create good-paying jobs in our region. I look forward to construction beginning next year.”

Amazon also offers employees access to innovative programs like Career Choice, where it will pay up to 95 per cent of tuition for courses related to in-demand fields, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon. Since the program’s launch, more than 16,000 employees across the globe have pursued degrees in game design and visual communications, nursing, IT programming and radiology, to name a few

“Amazon’s expansion will create well-paying, stable jobs for our citizens and help diversify and strengthen our local economy, the long-term sustainability of our region and our community-at-large,” says Tanni Doblanko, Mayor of Leduc County.

The project is being developed by ONE Properties and TD Greystone Asset Management.