Amazon Signals Downtown Vancouver Revival with Major Office Expansion
On a late March day, with light breaking through the clouds, the top floors of Amazon's new offices above the former Canada Post building on West Georgia Street offer sweeping 360-degree views. The vista encompasses B.C. Place and Victory Square nearby, along with the towers of Burnaby and the majestic mountains of the North Shore in the distance.
Expanding Footprint in The Post Complex
For the past two years, approximately 2,400 Amazon employees have been working out of the south tower of The Post complex. Starting this Monday, more than 1,000 additional employees will be moving into the newly opened north tower. This expansion solidifies Amazon's substantial presence in downtown Vancouver and contributes significantly to what the company describes as the area's "revival."
"If we look back to 2020-21, when we were first announcing plans at The Post, obviously that was a time when the future of downtown, you could say, was uncertain because there was a pandemic," explained Amazon spokesperson Kristin Gable. "So the decision by Amazon to lease both towers at The Post was a tremendous vote of confidence for downtown Vancouver."
Gable added, "To see the north tower open on Monday … it really consolidates our presence downtown."
Creating a Vancouver Tech Hub
The Post will serve as the cornerstone for what Amazon calls its Vancouver "tech hub," complementing another Canadian hub in Toronto. The workforce at this location includes:
- Software developers
- Engineers
- User-experience designers
One entire floor in the north tower will be dedicated to the devices team, which is connected to Amazon's Alexa voice-assistant products. Other workers will focus on supporting third-party businesses that sell on the Amazon platform.
Workforce Migration and Local Impact
Many of the employees moving into the north tower will be migrating from the nearby Telus Garden building, where Amazon has maintained seven floors of offices since 2015. The company will be ending its lease at that location in June.
Approximately 1,000 employees will remain next door at 402 Dunsmuir Street, and Amazon will retain one floor at 425 Howe Street. "The fact that we're bringing 4,500 people downtown everyday is also an opportunity for local businesses, for local community organizations, to benefit from the energy and spillover effect that that has," emphasized Gable.
Architectural Transformation and Connectivity
The two towers are connected by a massive communal space on the 7th and 8th floors—what would have been the rooftop of the original Canada Post building. This design fosters collaboration and community among employees.
Beyond the downtown core, Amazon employs thousands more workers across Metro Vancouver on the operational side, including those working in:
- Fulfillment centers
- Sorting centers
- Delivery stations
The company's full-time and part-time workforce in the region now exceeds 10,000 employees.
Historic Building Reimagined
The transformation of the former Canada Post building, originally constructed in 1958, into a mixed-use office and retail complex took place over several years. In addition to the two office towers, the site now features:
- A Loblaws City Market
- A fitness gym
Last November, the property was sold for $1.1 billion by QuadReal Property Group—the real estate arm of the pension fund B.C. Investment Management Corp.—to Pontegadea. This is the family office of Spanish billionaire Amancio Ortega, founder of the Zara fashion company.
This expansion represents a significant commitment by Amazon to Vancouver's growing technology sector and urban core, bringing substantial economic activity and employment opportunities to the city.
