BMO Call Centre (Mississauga, First Gulf, 10s)

[maestro]

It doesn't seem like it would make any sense and it is not the kind of use that any city should be encouraging in its downtown or wherever it is trying to create a downtown

This makes no sense especially considering MCC is forever struggling for tenants.


P.S. Where do you think the existing facilty is?

"There is a plan to move our contact centre from 55 Bloor Street West to Mississauga at the end of 2010 or early 2011. New premises will be conveniently located at Highway 401 and Mississauga Road, which is in close proximity to the Meadowvale GO Train station, Mississauga transit, as well as Highways 401 and 407, and will have lots of free parking. We are very excited about moving to this new location as it promises to be a new, state of the art facility."

 

[hkric88]

Atrocity.

This project gets a full F- straight across the board. A complete failure. Its a failure to society and a failure to the people of Mississauga. This is a sad moment not just for Mississauga, but for the GTA, for Canada, even for the entire world. This is the excrement of a dinosaur.

"Back in '69.." they reminisce. Well those days are over now.

Sad. Sad. Sad.
Shame. Shame. Shame.

 

[toraerach]

This project gets a full F- straight across the board. A complete failure. Its a failure to society and a failure to the people of Mississauga. This is a sad moment not just for Mississauga, but for the GTA, for Canada, even for the entire world. This is the excrement of a dinosaur.

"Back in '69.." they reminisce. Well those days are over now.

Sad. Sad. Sad.
Shame. Shame. Shame.

Woah, it's not the end of the world here. This will provide a number of jobs and keep some construction workers working through these tough economic times. Plus eventually these massive parking lots won't make sense and they'll be redeveloped. This will happen when the property becomes too valuable, or, if we ever come to our senses and:

1) ban free parking throughout the GTA, and/or
2) tax businesses per parking space

 

[Automation Gallery]

Woah, it's not the end of the world here. This will provide a number of jobs and keep some construction workers working through these tough economic times. Plus eventually these massive parking lots won't make sense and they'll be redeveloped. This will happen when the property becomes too valuable, or, if we ever come to our senses and:

Office space has to start somewhere. In 10 years there may be a bunch of 20-30 storey office towers occupying these lots and all is forgotten.

 

[hkric88]

I really hope you guys are right. Nevertheless, it should have been built at city centre.

 

[Edward Skira]

Office space has to start somewhere. In 10 years there may be a bunch of 20-30 storey office towers occupying these lots and all is forgotten.

Or they'll find this area too expensive and will move to new office parks in Orangeville or somewhere even further out.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

Locating a call centre in MCC would be waste. I doubt that call centres need the opportunities for face-to-face interaction that a downtown would offer. It is a call centre, its sole pupose is use phones to call people, isn't it??? It doesn't seem like it would make any sense and it is not the kind of use that any city should be encouraging in its downtown or wherever it is trying to create a downtown...

Jobs are jobs. I doubt all those workers in the bank towers downtown do much face to face interaction. They are mostly paper pushers. If this type of employment isn't 'good' enough for MCC why not then build an underground bunker with landscaping on top. Then it would be eco friendly, sightline friendly, and nobody would be able to find the building in order to egg it for all the dinner hour calls.

Fact is BMO went for the cheapest option, cheapest land available, low rise, surface parking. They probably could have fit the building into a compact little 20 storey tower, but that would increase costs.

 

[ShonTron]

Too bad so sad for all the Toronto employees who either have to a) buy a car or put up with additional mileage and wear and tear if they already have one; b) put up with Mississauga Transit; c) Pray that GO gets its act together, and that there is a way to get to Argentia without walking all the away around to Derry or Erin Mills and back from Battleford; or d) find another job.

And then some of the LRT fans (Im specifically thinking of that guy from UBC who wants a streetcar on Broadway because to build higher-order transit encourages people to live too far from work) and ecoplanning people complain about how people don't live within 5 kilometres from work.

 

[doady]

This makes no sense especially considering MCC is forever struggling for tenants.

Oh really? How much vacancy is there really at MCC? What is the largest available space?
http://mississauga-city-centre.ontario.5.commercial-real-estate-space-for-lease.space4lease.ca/

P.S. Where do you think the existing facilty is?

"There is a plan to move our contact centre from 55 Bloor Street West to Mississauga at the end of 2010 or early 2011. New premises will be conveniently located at Highway 401 and Mississauga Road, which is in close proximity to the Meadowvale GO Train station, Mississauga transit, as well as Highways 401 and 407, and will have lots of free parking. We are very excited about moving to this new location as it promises to be a new, state of the art facility."

Yes, they move from a high cost location to a low cost location. That is the whole point. Why would they move from a high cost location to another high cost location that is much more poorly service by transit than Yonge and Bloor.

Jobs are jobs. I doubt all those workers in the bank towers downtown do much face to face interaction. They are mostly paper pushers.

There is a reason why all the head offices of the banks cluster together... of course not all their work requires face-to-face interaction, which is why only certain functions move the suburbs.

 

[Dan416]

I too would have preferred a new MCC office tower. Unfortunately the commercial spaces in Mississauga are just as sprawly as the residential. Eventually we'll run out of commercial areas to sprawl into (as we have with residential) and only then will businesses be forced to build up in the MCC (as they are now with residential).

 

[Observer Walt]

I too would have preferred a new MCC office tower. Unfortunately the commercial spaces in Mississauga are just as sprawly as the residential. Eventually we'll run out of commercial areas to sprawl into (as we have with residential) and only then will businesses be forced to build up in the MCC (as they are now with residential).

That's how it will work in Mississauga, just as it has elsewhere. Eventually, shortage of supply (lack of space to "sprawl") will drive up the value of land, and it will become uneconomic to sprawl. We will then see higher density infill. It's happened already in the City Centre, and to some extent in the Airport Corporate Centre.

 

[doady]

The problem with Airport Corporate Centre is that it is too close to the Airport, so there are no residential uses allowed that can compete for the space, so I don't think it will ever be dense...

But lack of space doesn't necessarily mean that businesses will build up. After all, many of the offices in Mississauga are coming from Toronto... eventually they will just move out of Mississauga.

 

[nfitz]

Any news on the progress of this project?

In particular, I noticed that the website for the project has information on a pedestrian walkway from Argentia to GO Meadowvale station. Does anyone know if this is opened yet? I see the local councillors re-election website said it would be built this this year.