Montreal submits bid to Amazon to become 2nd North American headquarters

The president and CEO of MontralInternational the group in charge of the Montreal'sbid to lure Amazon is tryingto woo the online retail giantthe old-fashioned way: Hubert Bolducdeliveredthe bid in person.

Bolduc flew to Seattle Thursday, the deadline to submit proposals to become Amazon's second North American headquarters.

The company is promising 50,000 high-paying jobs and a $5-billion US investment for the winning city.

"The whole team stepped up its efforts in the past few weeks to highlight all the know-how and creativity Greater Montral has to offer," said Bolduc in a statement. "The city is one of the most tech-forward in the world and that is attractive to Amazon, one of the most innovative companies in the 21st century."

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In addition to boasting about a growing pool of qualified candidatesand having the highest concentration of tech sector jobs ofany Canadian city, Montreal's pitch included a comparison toToronto, pointing outthat it's cheaper for young professionals to live here.

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The bid was submitted with the encouragement and blessing of the Quebec government and the City of Montreal.

Earlier this week, the incumbent mayor, Denis Coderre, said securing theAmazon headquarterswould be a boon for Montreal, while Projet Montralleader and mayoral candidate Valrie Plante said she wantsto make sure negotiations benefit the city, too.