Richest people in Canada

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Richest people in Canada

Last year, the combined wealth of the top 10 richest Canadians hit a new record high of $96.4 billion. In fact, the number of billionaires in Canada has doubled during the past decade, as large Canadian businesses have expanded and become even more profitable, and as technology has given rise to successful startup ventures.

But as the rich have gotten richer, the status quo for many Canadians has remained the same. The 87 richest families in Canada have the same amount of wealth as roughly one-third of the country’s population. In 2016, the net worth of the wealthiest Canadian was 4,448 times that of the average Canadian.

There is also some evidence that points to the inequality gap growing in Canada. Between 2012 and 2016, the average net worth of the richest Canadians rose by 37%, while the average net worth of all Canadians rose by just 15% during the same time period. Meanwhile, wages have stagnated and student debt is piling up for many younger Canadians. In a 2019 poll, 67% of Canadians surveyed said they felt the Canadian economy is rigged to benefit the rich and powerful, up eight points from when the same question was posed in a 2016 survey.

Stacker compiled a list of the 43 Canadian billionaires and ranked them by net worth, based on Forbes data from March 12, 2020. The billionaires in Canada are nearly all men, although Sherry Brydson is one of the richest women in the country. Brydson is worth an estimated $7.64 billion, largely due to her inherited wealth from her grandfather Roy Thomson. Because she is a member of the Thomson family, though, she did not get her own spot on the Canadian billionaires list, since the Thomson family is grouped together.

Read on to see how Canadian's billionaires stack up to one another.

5of7 // Wikimedia Commons

#43. N. Murray Edwards

- Net worth: $0.9 billion (#2,060 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: oil and gas
- Residence: London, U.K. (citizen of Canada)
- Age: 61

At 28, N. Murray Edwards started a merchant bank with some of his colleagues, each contributing $100,000 toward the project. They looked for investments in oil and gas, and eventually, Edwards became an incredibly successful entrepreneur with investments in not only oil and gas, but also mining, aerospace and ski resorts. He also became a co-owner of the National Hockey League’s Calgary Flames. Today, his businesses employ more than 25,000 people.

Brian Willams 1 // Wikimedia Commons

#42. Brandt Louie

- Net worth: $1.2 billion (#1,840 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: drugstores
- Residence: Vancouver, British Columbia
- Age: 77

Brandt Louie’s grandfather Hok Yat Louie moved to Canada from China, and gradually saved up enough money to open a small general store in Vancouver, British Columbia’s Chinatown in 1903. That small store would become the basis of the family’s business, which now includes IGA supermarkets and London Drugs. Today, Louie heads the H.Y. Louie Co. Ltd., which is one of the largest private companies in British Columbia with 10,000 employees. He also operates two charities with wide-ranging operations: the Tong and Geraldine Louie Family Foundation and the London Drugs Foundation.

Raysonho // Wikimedia Commons

#41. K. Rai Sahi

- Net worth: $1.2 billion (#1,838 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: real estate
- Residence: Mississauga, Ontario
- Age: 74

K. Rai Sahi moved to Montreal in 1971 from India, where he started a job as an insurance salesman, and eventually accepted a job with the Bank of Montreal as a business loans officer and honed his real estate skills. In the late 1990s, he took over the real estate company Morguard Corporation, focusing on bargain real estate deals and prioritizing growth over dividends, which took the organization to new heights. He continued to expand the company into an entity worth $20 billion, that owns numerous apartment buildings, shopping malls and office buildings in North America.

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#40. Guy Laliberté

- Net worth: $1.2 billion (#1,818 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: Cirque du Soleil
- Residence: Montreal
- Age: 61

Former Montreal street performer Guy Laliberté became a billionaire after he founded what would become Cirque du Soleil in 1984. He sold his majority stake in Cirque du Soleil in 2015, and since then, started up Lune Rouge Entertainment and spent $100 million constructing buildings on his private island in French Polynesia. In 2009, Laliberté spent $35 million to become the first private Canadian citizen to visit space.

John Mahler // Toronto Star via Getty Images

#39. Gerald Schwartz

- Net worth: $1.3 billion (#1,753 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: finance
- Residence: Toronto
- Age: 79

Gerald Schwartz co-founded CanWest Capital in 1977 at age 35, but by 1984 that venture had fizzled, and he used his portion of assets to start Onex Corp., a Toronto-based private equity firm. Today, Onex reportedly has $33 billion in assets. Schwartz has donated millions of his fortune to universities and hospitals, and has been inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. He is married to Heather Reisman, founder and CEO of Indigo Books and Music.

Barry Batchelor // PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images

#38. Terence (Terry) Matthews

- Net worth: $1.3 billion (#1,711 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: telecom
- Residence: Ottawa, Ontario
- Age: 77

Terry Matthews has shepherded about 120 startups into successful companies, including Mitel Networks Corp., which he founded in 1972 to import electric lawn mowers, but eventually shifted gears and began selling dial pads for telephones. He used the money he made when British Telecom bought Mitel to found telecom company Newbridge Networks, and in 2016 founded Excalibur Steel UK Ltd. Matthews is originally from Wales, and today chairs the board of the Swansea Bay City Region.

Gary Gershoff/WireImage // Getty Images

#37. Aldo Bensadoun

- Net worth: $1.3 billion (#1,679 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: shoes
- Residence: Montreal
- Age: 82

Aldo Bensadoun is the figure behind Aldo Group, a shoes and accessories design and manufacturing group that has more than 1,600 stores in 80 countries. Bensadoun was born in Morocco, but grew up in the south of France, where his father owned multiple shoe stores. He moved to the United States to attend Cornell University but became enamored with Montreal after visiting, and soon transferred to McGill University. He started Aldo in 1972 at the department store Le Chateau, and in 1993, the brand expanded to the United States.

Igor Golovniov // SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

#36. Mark Leonard and family

- Net worth: $1.4 billion (#1,635 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: software
- Residence: Toronto
- Age: 64

Mark Leonard founded Canadian tech company Constellation Software in 1995, remains chairman of the company today and retains a 5% stake. Constellation Software, which operates in more than 100 countries, earned $2.3 billion in sales in 2018 and acquired eight companies. However, little is known about Leonard: He has never spoken to the press, and there are no known images of him online.

Ted Town // Toronto Star via Getty Images

#35. Jack Cockwell

- Net worth: $1.4 billion (#1,583 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: real estate, private equity
- Residence: Toronto
- Age: 79

Jack Cockwell was born in South Africa, and at 27, he was hired to manage the inheritance of a few of the Bronfman brothers, who belong to a wealthy Canadian American family. In his role, Cockwell spearheaded a number of acquisitions on behalf of Edper Investments, the Bronfman’s company, and eventually built a real estate and financial services firm that would become Brookfield Asset Management. The company has a $250 billion portfolio and Cockwell remains a director at Brookfield today.

David Cooper // Toronto Star via Getty Images

#34. Stephen Jarislowsky

- Net worth: $1.5 billion (#1,488 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: money management
- Residence: Montreal
- Age: 95

Born in Berlin in 1925, Stephen Jarislowsky moved to the United States in 1941 to attend prep school in Asheville, North Carolina After serving in counterintelligence in World War II, Jarislowsky earned his MBA at Harvard before starting Jarislowsky Fraser Ltd. in 1955 in Montreal. The company became one of the largest and most successful investment management firms in Canada, and Jarislowsky remains on the company’s board of directors today. He is also the co-founder and director of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance.

Dick Loek // Toronto Star via Getty Images

#33. Hal Jackman

- Net worth: $1.6 billion (#1,486 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: insurance, investments
- Residence: Toronto
- Age: 88

Hal Jackman was the chairman of the board of National Trust Co. and the Empire Life Insurance Co., as well as several other large Canadian companies, but he is perhaps most well-known for serving as the lieutenant governor of Ontario from 1991 through 1997. As lieutenant governor, Jackman advocated for support for the arts, history and Canadian unity. Jackman was named to the Order of Ontario in 1988; in 2000, he was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada.

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#32. Stephen Smith

- Net worth: $1.6 billion (#1,480 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: finance and investments
- Residence: Toronto
- Age: 69

Stephen Smith is the president and CEO of First National Financial LP, Canada’s largest non-bank mortgage lender, and the co-owner of Canada Guaranty Mortgage Insurance Co., which is Canada’s third-largest mortgage insurance provider. After Smith was fired from his job in 1980, he began investing in real estate and building houses, but the tough economy at the time led to him declaring personal bankruptcy in 1984. But just four years later, Smith formed First National Financial with his business partner Moray Tawse.

AJ Butler // Wikimedia Commons

#31. Marcel Adams and family

- Net worth: $1.6 billion (#1,454 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: real estate
- Residence: Montreal
- Age: 100

Marcel Adams was born in Romania in 1920 and survived the Holocaust before emigrating to Canada, where he founded Iberville Developments Ltd. in 1958. The company owns and manages almost 8 million square feet of real estate that includes shopping centers, offices, industrial properties, and residential buildings. Adams’ son Sylvan has since taken over the business. Adams is the second-oldest billionaire in the world, just behind Singapore’s Chang Yun Chung.

Tannis Toohey // Toronto Star via Getty Images

#30. Pierre Karl Péladeau

- Net worth: $1.6 billion (#1,429 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: media
- Residence: Montreal
- Age: 59

Pierre Karl Péladeau’s father founded communications company Quebecor Inc. in 1965, and from a young age, Péladeau was interested in becoming more involved in the company. He eventually took over Quebecor subsidiaries in 1985, where he supervised a number of acquisitions. In 2000, while he was president and CEO of Quebecor, he led the company’s major acquisitions of TVA and Videotron World. However in 2015, Péladeau was elected to Quebec’s National Assembly, and he served as the leader of the official opposition in the National Assembly until 2016.

Julien de Rosa/IP3 // Getty Images

#29. Serge Godin

- Net worth: $1.8 billion (#1,338 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: information technology
- Residence: Westmount, Quebec
- Age: 71

Born in 1949, Serge Godin was 26 when he founded CGI Inc. with just $5,000 in his savings account. During the next decade, he grew the firm from two employees to 225, and then 1,200 after 20 years. The company today is the world's fifth-largest, full-service information tech and business process services company. Godin in 2000 started a family foundation to help reduce poverty, further education, and better the health of children and teens.

Chesnot // Getty Images

#28. Peter Szulczewski

- Net worth: $1.8 billion (#1,318 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: e-commerce
- Residence: San Francisco (citizen of Canada)
- Age: 39

Peter Szulczewski is a part owner of the e-commerce retailer Wish, which connects consumers with mostly Chinese vendors. After he graduated with a degree in computer science, Szulczewski worked for Google to build software that helped advertisers target user online searches, but he quit his job at the tech giant in 2009 to start ContextLogic, Inc. He aimed to build software that would predict a users’ interests based on their browsing history, and Szulczewski along with his friend Danny Zhang in 2011 re-launched ContextLogic as Wish.

Patrick Le Barbenchon // Wikimedia Commons

#27. Jacques D'Amours

- Net worth: $1.9 billion (#1,234 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: retail
- Residence: Montreal
- Age: 64

Jacques D'Amours is the co-founder of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., which operates Canadian convenience stores. He started the company in 1980, and held a variety of different jobs throughout his 34-year career, including manager of technical services, vice president of sales, and vice president of administration and operations, before retiring in 2014. As of 2019, Couche-Tard operated 12,575 stores worldwide.

Janet Trost // Wikimedia Commons

#26. Bruce Flatt

- Net worth: $1.9 billion (#1,221 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: money management
- Residence: Toronto
- Age: 55

Bruce Flatt was named CEO of Brookfield Asset Management Inc. at 37 in 2002, and helped the company to transform into one of Canada’s largest property and infrastructure managers. In the past two decades, Flatt also sat on the board of more than 20 companies. Despite his success, he’s remained grounded, reportedly not having his own office and regularly eating lunch with new company hires.

Tannis Toohey // Toronto Star via Getty Images

#25. Michael Lee-Chin

- Net worth: $2.0 billion (#1,169 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: mutual funds
- Residence: Burlington, Ontario
- Age: 69

Michael Lee-Chin was born in Jamaica in 1951, but moved to Canada in 1970 to attend McMaster University, where he studied civil engineering and first became interested in the mutual fund industry. In 1987, he bought AIC Ltd. and took the company from less than $1 million to more than $10 billion in assets at the peak of the company’s business. Lee-Chin sold AIC’s retail mutual fund business to Manulife Financial Corp. in 2009, but is currently the executive chairman and CEO at Portland Investment Counsel Inc.

Frank Calleja/Toronto Star via Getty Images

#24. Carlo Fidani

- Net worth: $2.2 billion (#1,034 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: real estate
- Residence: Toronto
- Age: 66

Carlo Fidani has run Toronto-based real estate company Orlando Corp. since 2000, when his father died. The company has been in his family since Fidani’s grandfather founded it in 1948 as Fidani and Sons. Today, Orlando Corp. manages about 44 million square feet of business office, commercial and industrial spaces. Fidani is a supporter of health services, and regularly donates to the Carlo Fidani Peel Regional Cancer Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.

Nash8686 // Wikimedia Commons

#23. Robert Miller

- Net worth: $2.2 billion (#1,026 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: electronics components
- Residence: Montreal
- Age: 75

In 1968, Robert Miller helped found distributor Future Electronics Inc., and he bought out his business partner in 1976 with $500,000. Today, Future Electronics is one of the world’s largest electronic distributors, with $5 billion in revenue from businesses in 44 different countries. Miller, a notoriously private person, supports cryonics and has donated to the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on cryonics and cryogenic research.

JD Lasica // Flickr

#22. Garrett Camp

- Net worth: $2.3 billion (#1,000 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: Uber
- Residence: San Francisco (citizen of Canada)
- Age: 42

Garrett Camp is the co-founder of successful tech ventures Uber Technologies Inc. and StumbleUpon, and continues to serve as the chairman of both companies. However, Camp has continued to launch several other startup companies, including Expa, which he launched in 2013 as a global network of entrepreneurs that supports new business ventures. Camp also recently started Eco, a cryptocurrency project that addresses privacy and mining, regulatory concerns of digital currencies.

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#21. Charles Bronfman

- Net worth: $2.3 billion (#964 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: liquor
- Residence: Montreal
- Age: 89

Montreal-born and raised Charles Bronfman spent a 50-year career at The Seagram Company Ltd., and was the founding chairman and principal owner of the Montreal Expos, the first Major League Baseball league to exist outside the United States. Particularly well-known for his philanthropic work, Bronfman and his wife founded the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies in 1985, which aims to educate young people about their cultural heritage and identity.

Asclepias // Wikimedia Commons

#20. Jean Coutu

- Net worth: $2.5 billion (#917 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: drugstores
- Residence: Montreal
- Age: 93

As a college student, Jean Coutu became the manager of a pharmacy. He excelled at the business, and instead of becoming an associate with the pharmacy after he graduated, he bought three other drugstores and began his business in the pharmaceutical industry. In 1969, he used all of his savings to develop the Jean Coutu Discount Pharmacy chain, which would become one of the largest drugstore chains in North America.

Colin McConnell // Toronto Star via Getty Images

#19. Mitchell Goldhar

- Net worth: $2.6 billion (#889 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: real estate
- Residence: North York, Ontario
- Age: 59

Mitchell Goldhar has been involved in residential and commercial real estate development for 30 years and opened the first new Canadian Walmart in Barrie, Ontario in 1994. Since then, he has overseen the development of 265 Canadian shopping centers, including 175 Walmart stores. Goldhar is currently the executive chairman of the board of SmartCentres, a real estate investment trust; owner of the Penguin Group of companies; and also sits on the advisory board of the Canadian Sports Concussion Project.

Eric Alonso/MB Media // Getty Images

#18. Lawrence Stroll

- Net worth: $2.6 billion (#872 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: fashion investments
- Residence: Geneva (citizen of Canada)
- Age: 61

Lawrence Stroll was introduced to the world of fashion investments at a young age when his father Leo Strulovitch ushered the Polo Ralph Lauren and Pierre Cardin brands to Canada; and when Stroll was older, he helped expand the Ralph Lauren brand into Europe. Stroll has also invested in Tommy Hilfiger and bought a majority stake in Michael Kors in 2009. In January, Stroll also bought a majority stake in Aston Martin and joined the company’s board as executive chairman. Though he resides in Switzerland, Stroll also has homes in Quebec, London, and on the Caribbean island of Mustique.

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#17. Arthur Irving

- Net worth: $3.0 billion (#764 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: oil
- Residence: Saint John, New Brunswick
- Age: 91

Arthur Irving joined his family’s company of Irving Oil Ltd. in 1951 and became president of the company in 1972. Although he remains the chairman of Irving Oil, he also has strong interests in education and the environment. From 1996-2010, Irving served as the chancellor of Acadia University, and in 2002, in collaboration with his brothers, he started the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens on the campus of Acadia University.

Clint Spaulding // Getty Images for Bloomberg

#16. Anthony von Mandl

- Net worth: $3.0 billion (#747 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: alcoholic beverages
- Residence: Vancouver, British Columbia
- Age: unknown

You may not know Anthony von Mandl, but you’re likely familiar with two of his successful alcoholic beverages—Mike’s Hard Lemonade and White Claw. Although von Mandl has been known among the elite for his well-established Candian wineries, he made his money from Mike’s Hard Lemonade, which launched in Canada in 1996. His company, Mark Anthony Group, sold the rights to Mike’s Hard Lemonade in Canada for $350 million in 2015, but it still has the right to sell the drinks in the United States, where the market is much bigger. The success of White Claw turned Mark Anthony Group into the fourth-largest beer company in the United States in 2019.

Matthew Pearce // Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

#15. Bob Gaglardi

- Net worth: $3.1 billion (#726 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: hotels
- Residence: Vancouver, British Columbia
- Age: 79

Bob Gaglardi launched Northland Properties in 1963 with a $5,000 loan, and opened the Sandman Inn hotel in British Columbia in 1967. Following the success of that hotel, Gaglardi continued to open up other Sandman Inns throughout Canada, and began expanding into the real estate and restaurant space as well. In 2011, Gaglardi and his son purchased the Dallas Stars hockey team for $240 million.

Steve Russell // Toronto Star via Getty Images

#14. Peter Gilgan

- Net worth: $3.2 billion (#696 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: homebuilding
- Residence: Oakville, Ontario
- Age: 70

Peter Gilgan is the president and CEO of Mattamy Homes, a Canadian company that is the largest privately-held homebuilder in North America. Mattamy Homes has 1,700 employees, whom Gilgan says he makes an effort to connect with regularly. In total, Gilgan also has contributed more than $175 million to charitable causes, including the largest-ever gift of $40 million to SickKids, a Canadian pediatric hospital.

Mack Male // Flickr

#13. Daryl Katz

- Net worth: $3.4 billion (#655 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: pharmacies
- Residence: Edmonton, Alberta
- Age: 59

Daryl Katz, whose father owned a drugstore, built his own wealth in the pharmaceutical industry when he bought the Canadian rights to American drugstore Medicine Shoppe in 1991. Later, he bought out the Canadian chain Rexall, bringing those stores to the U.S. market before deciding to abandon the drugstore business entirely and focus on real estate. His company, Katz Group, is currently co-developing a $2 billion complex in his hometown of Edmonton, where Katz also owns the Edmonton Oilers, the city’s National Hockey League team.

Union Eleven // Wikimedia Commons

#12. Tobi Lütke

- Net worth: $3.7 billion (#573 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: e-commerce
- Residence: Ottawa, Ontario
- Age: 40

Tobi Lütke moved to Canada from Germany when he was 22, and co-founded Shopify in 2006. Two years later, he took over as CEO of the company. Shopify, which is a platform for vendors to sell goods and services online, boasts more than 500,000 users. The company is valued at $12 billion and went public in 2015, but despite his success, Lütke doesn’t show off his wealth and reportedly still rides his bike to work.

Jim Bennett // Getty Images

#11. Chip Wilson

- Net worth: $3.7 billion (#571 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: Lululemon
- Residence: Vancouver, British Columbia
- Age: 64

Chip Wilson is the founder of companies Westbeach Snowboard and Lululemon Athletica and has been considered one of the leaders in the “athleisure” industry, which he was inspired to dive deeper into after he attended his first yoga class at 42. Although he stepped down from the board of Lululemon in 2015, he remains the company’s fourth-largest shareholder. Lululemon has 140 stores outside of the United States.

Jeangagnon // Wikimedia Commons

#10. Alain Bouchard

- Net worth: $3.8 billion (#536 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: retail
- Residence: Montreal
- Age: 71

Alain Bouchard was born in 1949, one of six children, and despite family hardships in his youth, he went on to be part of the executive team that founded Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. in 1980 and eventually served as its president and CEO until 2014. While he served at the helm of Couche-Tard, it became Canada’s leading convenience store chain and the largest independent convenience store operator in the United States. In 2012, Bouchard was named Canada’s outstanding CEO of the year. He and his wife have a child with an intellectual disability, which led them to fund related research at McGill University.

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#9. Emanuele (Lino) Saputo and family

- Net worth: $4.3 billion (#464 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: cheese
- Residence: Quebec City
- Age: 84

Saputo Inc. was founded in Montreal 65 years ago by Giuseppe Saputo, and is one of the top three cheesemakers in the United States; the top dairy processor in Australia; and the largest manufacturer of branded cheese in the United Kingdom. The entire Saputo family is thought to be worth $10.2 billion—the fifth-wealthiest in Canada. Today, Saputo Inc. is run by Lino Saputo Jr., who was named Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year in 2019 and is also the founder of Quartexx Management, an agency that represents hockey players.

Phillip Chin // Getty Images

#8. Jim Pattison

- Net worth: $4.7 billion (#415 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: diversified
- Residence: Vancouver, British Columbia
- Age: 92

Jim Pattison is the founder of The Jim Pattison Group, which is a large business conglomerate that has interests in a variety of sectors, including grocery store chains and the automotive industry. The business is the second-largest privately held company in Canada. with 45,000 employees and $10 billion in revenue in 2017. Pattison operates the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, and in 2018 donated more than $100 million to hospitals in Vancouver and in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where he was born.

Niall Carson // PA Images via Getty Images

#7. Mark Scheinberg

- Net worth: $4.9 billion (#390 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: online gambling
- Residence: Isle of Man (citizen of Canada)
- Age: 47

Mark Scheinberg was born in Israel but moved to a suburb of Toronto when he was a teenager. At 28, Scheinberg co-founded PokerStars with his father Isai in 2001. The company would become the biggest online poker company until the Scheinbergs eventually sold it in 2014. Scheinberg earned more than $3 billion from the sale, and used some of that money to invest in restoring historic buildings in Madrid for residential and commercial purposes.

Alexvye // Wikimedia Commons

#6. James Irving

- Net worth: $4.9 billion (#386 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: diversified
- Residence: Saint John, New Brunswick
- Age: 92

James Irving is the owner of J.D. Irving Ltd., a sprawling business with more than two dozen companies involved in retail, transportation, and frozen foods, among many others. His family’s wealth preceded him by two generations, with his father building the Irvings' assets even more by expanding into oil operations with Irving Oil Ltd. That company is run by his brother Arthur Irving, but the two reportedly don’t speak. Irving’s timber and forestry operation has planted more than a billion trees since 1957, and the company holds the world record for the most trees planted in an hour: 53,000.

Sikander // Wikimedia Commons

#5. David Cheriton

- Net worth: $5.5 billion (#333 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: Google
- Residence: Palo Alto, Calif. (citizen of Canada)
- Age: 69

David Cheriton was among the first angel investors in Google LLC, where he mentored Larry Page and Sergey Brin and is the founder and CEO of Apstra, a company that automates the design and operations of data centers. Cheriton also invested in VMWare Inc. and Arista Networks and founded Granite Systems, which was acquired by Cisco Systems in 1996, and Kealia Inc., which was acquired by Sun Microsystems Inc. in 2004. Cheriton is professor emeritus of computer science and electrical engineering at Stanford University.

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#4. Huang Chulong

- Net worth: $5.6 billion (#324 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: real estate
- Residence: Shenzhen, China (citizen of Canada)
- Age: 62

Huang Chulong earned his fortune through Galaxy Holding Group, a Chinese-based private real estate developer, and at 62, he is now among the top 1,000 richest people in the world. The company has been successful for 32 years and supports real estate development, hotel management, business operations, urban renewal, finance, and investment.

Dave Hogan // Getty Images

#3. Galen Weston and family

- Net worth: $7.9 billion (#199 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: retail
- Residence: Toronto
- Age: 80

Galen Weston founded the President’s Choice brands in 1984, and by 1994 the company had 800 products sold in the United States and Canada. Weston acquired several other brands, including Holt Renfrew, and by 1998, his holding company George Weston Ltd. had grossed $12 billion. George Weston Ltd. would go on to acquire several other businesses, including Florida’s Orchid Island resort, Stroehmann Bakeries, Bestfoods Inc., Loblaw Companies Ltd., and Selfridges.

Edward Wong // South China Morning Post via Getty Images

#2. Joseph Tsai

- Net worth: $10.6 billion (#138 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: e-commerce
- Residence: Hong Kong (citizen of Canada)
- Age: 56

Joseph Tsai is a co-founder of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., a Chinese-based internet company, and has spent more than 20 years with the business, serving as CFO and executive vice chairman of the company’s board. Tsai owns the Brooklyn Nets; the New York Liberty, a Women’s National Basketball Association team; and the San Diego Seals, a professional indoor lacrosse team. He also is the chairman of J Tsai Sports, which has invested in several sports media and technology companies.

Gary Hershorn // Getty Images

#1. David Thomson and family

- Net worth: $34.4 billion (#22 richest in world)
- Source of wealth: media
- Residence: Toronto
- Age: 63

David Thomson and the Thomson family run Thomson Reuters Corp., a media and publishing conglomerate founded by Thomson’s grandfather Roy Thomson. Today, David Thomson serves as the company’s chairman. The Thomson family owns The Globe and Mail newspaper and has a stake in Bell Canada, a telecom company. Thomson also is a part owner of the National Hockey League’s Winnipeg Jets, and his family has a minority stake in the Montreal Canadiens.

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