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I recently moved back from the US (SF then Detroit) to Toronto to start a new startup. I was shocked when some entrepreneurs were upset that an Amazon HQ2 may r

I recently moved back from the US (SF then Detroit) to Toronto to start a new startup. I was shocked when some entrepreneurs were upset that an Amazon HQ2 may raise the prices on engineering talent in Toronto. That may be true but is extremely short-sighted (and probably means those startups aren't VC-ambitious). The Toronto area really needs Amazon, Google or another large tech company to create a signifiant engineering presence and foster a deep engineering pool. I believe that the SFBay has nearly 500K Canadians. That's crazy.

bradlys 8y ago
That seems like an outlandishly high number. Where did you get that? You're saying that close to 25-33% of foreigners in the bay are Canadian.
- andechs 8y ago
  The TN - (nonimmigrant NAFTA Professional) visa makes it very easy to move to the US as a Canadian vs a foreigner from any other country.
  - privacypoller 8y ago
    *For now - as you say, that's a NAFTA visa and some professions are already having issues crossing the border (nurses and medical professionals lately). It's very unclear what will happen if talks don't lead to another deal, and I don't think most small start-ups could handle the fallout if they all of the sudden need to convert their Canadian staff to another entry mechanism.
    - jgh 8y ago
      Not sure why you got downvoted there, you raise a good point about TN and NAFTA (though your assertion about nurses having issues at the border cries for a citation). I don't think you're wrong that people should be concerned about the current NAFTA negotiations, especially if they are Canadian (or Mexican) on TN or employ any Canadians or Mexicans on TN.
- genieyclo 8y ago
  Total Canadian population in the bay area is 19,500. LA county has more by itself at 29,200 Canadians. California as a whole has only 132,000 Canadians. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/us-immigrant-population-state-and-county https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/us-...
deleted 8y ago
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walshemj 8y ago
It is short sighted having one big player leads to spin offs to give a non tech examples from the UK. Games workshop set up in Nottingham years ago there is now large number of spin off companies in the metal and plastic moulding - its even called the lead belt.

bradlys 8y ago

That seems like an outlandishly high number. Where did you get that? You're saying that close to 25-33% of foreigners in the bay are Canadian.

andechs 8y ago
The TN - (nonimmigrant NAFTA Professional) visa makes it very easy to move to the US as a Canadian vs a foreigner from any other country.
- privacypoller 8y ago
  *For now - as you say, that's a NAFTA visa and some professions are already having issues crossing the border (nurses and medical professionals lately). It's very unclear what will happen if talks don't lead to another deal, and I don't think most small start-ups could handle the fallout if they all of the sudden need to convert their Canadian staff to another entry mechanism.
  - jgh 8y ago
    Not sure why you got downvoted there, you raise a good point about TN and NAFTA (though your assertion about nurses having issues at the border cries for a citation). I don't think you're wrong that people should be concerned about the current NAFTA negotiations, especially if they are Canadian (or Mexican) on TN or employ any Canadians or Mexicans on TN.
genieyclo 8y ago
Total Canadian population in the bay area is 19,500. LA county has more by itself at 29,200 Canadians. California as a whole has only 132,000 Canadians. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/us-immigrant-population-state-and-county https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/us-...

deleted 8y ago

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walshemj 8y ago

It is short sighted having one big player leads to spin offs to give a non tech examples from the UK. Games workshop set up in Nottingham years ago there is now large number of spin off companies in the metal and plastic moulding - its even called the lead belt.