Hamilton doesn't make the cut for Amazon headquarters

Amazon has released its top 20 contenders for the location of its new headquarters, and Hamilton is not on the list.

The city of Hamilton's bid to woo Amazon came in at nearly $467,000. 

The city pitched in $250,000 and then worked to raise the rest privately. As of the beginning of December, there was a shortfall of $42,000 yet to be raised.

Speaking on CHML talk radio on Thursday, Mayor Fred Eisenberger said the work of putting the bid together was "invigorating" for city staff and consultants.

"I don't see it as a waste of time at all," he said. "We're going to build on that 'unstoppable' theme."

Eisenberger said the proposal gives the city an up-to-date portfolio of "assets we have that we should be proud of and continue to sell." He called it a "well-thought-out and well-mapped out piece of information that we can lift from and use."

Amazon plans to spend $5 billion on Amazon HQ2, which will bring 50,000 jobs over 10 years. More than 100 North American cities said they intended to try to become the place Amazon picked. 

Toronto is the only Canadian city to make the list.

A Hamilton report to council last month noted that parts of the proposal are general enough that the material can be used elsewhere for city promotion and economic development.

"This work we're doing is going to produce dividends well beyond anything related to Amazon," city manager Chris Murray said in October.