WATERLOO — Bay Street financier Michael Wekerle is betting big on Waterloo Region's technology sector — selling his American real estate and buying former BlackBerry buildings.

The Bad Boy of Bay Street was doing some public relations work Thursday with a talk before a Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce luncheon crowd at the Waterloo Inn. And he charmed the audience with personal anecdotes, folksy advice on making money, and by laying on the compliments.

"Waterloo is the best, and I am proud to say this is the best technology town in Canada," Wekerle said. "It is the Silicon Valley of the north."

The founder and chief executive officer of merchant bank Difference Capital has spent almost $50 million to buy six former BlackBerry buildings clustered around Columbia and Phillip streets in Waterloo.

He founded the Waterloo Innovation Network, which is headquartered in one of the buildings. The popular CBC reality show Dragons' Den held auditions there. Wekerle, or Wek, is one of the investors or 'dragons' on the show.

Following the financial crisis of 2008, Wekerle bought a lot of real estate in Florida for a fraction of its original value. Now, he is selling much of that property at a nice profit.

"Never bet the farm, but if you have that chance definitely go in the water," Wekerle said. "That's what I did, and it turned out well. Now I am reversing it and putting all my money into Waterloo."

The man who made a fortune in equity markets is now down on that sector of the economy.

"There are more confidentiality breaks in corporate Canada and Bay Street, Wall Street etc., than anywhere else in the world," Wekerle said.

The Waterloo Innovation Network is all about investing in technology and keeping intellectual property in Canada, he said. He took a verbal swipe at Google for buying a local startup — BufferBox — for $17 million and then shutting it down.