Alberta businesses relieved after voters choose to remain in Canada

A resounding vote from Albertans to remain in Canada is exactly what many in the province's business community wanted to see with a cloud of uncertainty finally lifted. This vote to stay in Canada means that certainty has been established and that we can attract that investment and that will benefit the economy not just for Alberta but for the country. For months business leaders have been voicing concerns about the risks of the separation debate to Alberta's economy. In Edmonton, one of the province's largest energy producers says the referendum result brings relief. The separation referendum did cause some level of anxiety amongst external investors and those looking at evaluating doing business in Alberta. And I think that clearly goes away this morning. The uncertainty has also been felt in Alberta's housing market. Real estate experts say some buyers in Calgary have been putting decisions on hold, but now could have the confidence to act. There was a bunch of clients I would say were holding off because of some reasons and they wouldn't say because of the vote, but that probably fed into it. Despite the overwhelming vote to remain, one economist says this may not be the last word on separation, meaning the drag on business could persist. We kind of made the whole independence movement in Alberta In some ways, mainstream, we gave it a platform to be part of the normal discourse. So it will be very hard to put it to bed. But business leaders want the focus now to be on growing Alberta's economy. This was a vote for the future, not for the past. And that's exactly what Albertans did. They voted for the future. She says there's already plenty of optimism in the energy sector, with strong oil prices and major projects, including a proposed pipeline to the West Coast in the works. Aina Sadiu, CBC News, Calgary.