Vancouver
Vancouver, B.C. (Flickr Photo / @vancityvisual)

Amazon today announced plans to open a new office in Vancouver B.C., doubling its workforce there from 1,000 to 2,000 people.

Amazon first established a presence in Vancouver in 2013, setting up a small engineering center and then grabbing a larger space with room for 1,000 people. The office at 402 Dunsmuir will be about 150,000 square feet and is scheduled to open in 2020.

Amazon, which said in its latest quarterly report that it employs 541,900 people worldwide, now sports a Canadian headcount of more than 5,000 spread across sites in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. Amazon recently announced plans to open a new fulfillment center near Calgary.

Amazon isn’t the only Seattle-area tech giant with a significant presence in Vancouver. Microsoft opened a new office there last year. And it has been an important player in a growing relationship between Vancouver and Seattle, even backing a high-speed rail proposal.

Amazon’s plan to double down in Vancouver comes in the same week that Microsoft announced plans to create 50 new jobs focused on mixed reality as well as a partnership with the British Columbia Institute of Technology to design a mixed reality curriculum.

Amazon has been expanding on several fronts in recent weeks. Amazon is expanding its presence in New York City and setting up shop in a historic Hollywood studio for its film and production arm. Amazon is also expanding in its hometown, confirming plans to take a huge swath of office space above the downtown Macy’s location.

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