Helcim CEO Nic Beique says it was clear that if Monday’s separation vote ended up supporting independence, he’d likely be looking to relocate the Calgary-based tech company — and is pleased that didn’t happen.

Three-quarters of Albertans voted to stay in Canada.

Varcoe: Alberta tech sector watching for 'worrisome' immigration changes following referendum Back to video

Yet, the leader of the Calgary-based online payments firm remains watchful for potential provincial changes tied to the immigration-related questions in the referendum.

The province’s high-tech sector, which has taken off in the past decade, relies on its ability to attract outside customers and investors — and talent to fill critical roles that can’t be met locally.

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And it’s an industry that can operate virtually anywhere.

“It’s hugely important to attract people to Alberta. I mean, there’s great talent in Alberta, and we hire a ton of it. But we have world-class aspirations of the size of company we want to build,” Beique, whose company has 200 employees and is growing, said Wednesday.

“The ultimate thing that (the immigration issue) does is it sows doubt about how welcoming Alberta is to people from different places and different backgrounds.”

Across the tech sector and in other industries, business leaders said the clear-cut results in the referendum surrounding separation should remove any questions about the province’s future remaining firmly rooted within the country.

“The biggest........

© Calgary Herald