15 Richest People In Canada

Published on February 15, 2021 at 10:27 am by Pete Anderson in Lists, News

In this article, we will take a look at the 15 Richest People in Canada. Click here to skip ahead and see the 5 Richest People in Canada.

The coronavirus crisis widened income inequality across the globe. According to World Bank, just like every pandemic in the past, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic would be severe for low-income countries. But contrary to the common belief, the list of modern billionaires includes several names who made game-changing products and services that solve key problems of humankind. For example, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN)’s CEO Jeff Bezos, whose total worth stands at over $180 billion, changed the world with Amazon, sowing the seeds of the ecommerce boom that is creating thousands of jobs daily. On March 16, Amazon said it would create 100,000 full- and part-time jobs across its Operations network. Similarly, other billionaires like Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB) founder Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL)’s Larry Ellison, Walmart Inc (NYSE: WMT)’s Jim Walton, Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL)’s Larry Page and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class A (NYSE: BRK.A) Warren Buffett became rich not by exploiting others but by offering excellent products and services for which people are happy to pay money.

Dating app Bumble Inc (NASDAQ: BMBL) founder CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd recently became the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire after BMBL stock soared following IPO. Similarly, the 40-year billionaire Tobi Lutke created wealth when he launched tools to help online sellers create e-commerce stores. His company Shopify Inc (NYSE: SHOP) is used by thousands of sellers to sell their items online.

Billionaires in the U.S. get a lot of attention worldwide, but in this article we are going to take a look at the billionaires across the border.

According to the World Economic League Table 2021, Canada ranked as the 9th richest economy in the world. In 2020, it recorded its GDP per capita of $1.5 billion. Despite the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Canadian economy increased by 1.9% in Q3 2020, according to Trading Economies. The growth in the economies of the country’s major trading partners, favorable mortgage rates and government policies contributed to the growth in the country’s GDP. The Conference Board of Canada predicts that the country’s GDP will grow by 5.3% in 2021 and 3.5% in 2022.

The unemployment rate in Canada rose to 0.6% points in 2021, according to data from Trading Economies. Despite the increase in the unemployment rate, and the slow growth of the Canadian economy, Canadian billionaires have gained more wealth during the pandemic. Data from Forbes show that the Thomson Family witnessed the most growth, with an $8.8 billion increase. CEO of Shopify, Tobi Lutke, also saw a $6.6 billion increase. In the CCPA(Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative) report, Alex Hemingway, an economist and public finance analyst, highlighted the increase in the net worth of billionaires in Canada despite the increase in the unemployment rate. He said:

“At the same time as billionaires like Loblaws owner Galen Weston have seen their wealth balloon, front-line workers stocking shelves and scanning groceries at his stores have continued to risk their health and that of their loved ones by coming into work,”

Just like other parts of the world, the richest people in Canada actually saw their income boost during the coronavirus crisis. However, despite rising inequality, these billionaires have created jobs and contributed to the revenue of the country, directly or indirectly. Through their business activities, they contribute significantly to the growth of the Canadian economy. In our list of 15 Richest People in Canada, some of these billionaires are media personalities, CEOs, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, ecommerce merchants etc. Some of them are self-made billionaires, while others inherited their brands from family members.

In this article, we will assess the 15 richest people in Canada by their net worth. We used recent data from Forbes to calculate the most accurate estimate.

15. Daryl Katz

Net Worth: $3.6 billion

Daryl Katz is popularly known as the owner of the Edmonton Oilers, a professional hockey team. In 1991, Katz went into partnership with his father and paid $300,000 for the Canadian rights to Medicine Shoppe. Medicine Shoppe was a drug store franchise based in the US and had over 1,000 outlets there. He founded the holding company of the pharmaceutical Group called Katz Group of Companies.

In a few years, The Katz Group consisted of 80 Rexall stores, 30 Medicine Shoppe outlets, and other retailers. He expanded into the US market by purchasing the Snyders Drugstore chain. In 2008, he became the Edmonton Oilers owner, the NHL team native to his city. Daryl Katz is also the owner of Silver Pictures Entertainment, an entertainment company that produces and finances television and films.

14. Alain Bouchard

Net Worth: $4.1 billion

Alain Bouchard is one of the 15 richest people in Canada. He is the owner of Couche-Tard, the convenience store network. In 1980, he launched his first store. Under his management, the company grew from having one convenience store to one of the leading store chains in the country. It became the leading convenience store network in Canada. He expanded his influence to different countries.

In the United States, the convenience conglomerate has the most stores operated by one company. Couche-Tard has made many acquisitions over the years, and Alain Bouchard retired as the CEO in 2014. Today, the Couche-Tard conglomerate has over 15,000 stores and 125,000 employees worldwide. The market capitalization of Couche-Tard is currently $34.3 billion.

13. Peter Gilgan

Net Worth: $4.3 billion

Peter Gilgan is the founder and CEO of Mattamy Homes, one of Canada’s largest privately-owned homebuilders. The new developments in housing and construction inspired Gilgan to create something equally innovative. He is known for his WideLot design, which constructs houses that cater to individual needs instead of lot size.

He is known for building high-quality homes. He has built over 21,000 houses in the Toronto area. Mattamy houses has also developed homes in the United States, especially in Florida. Since its inception, the company is responsible for constructing over 70,000 homes in Ontario, Alberta and the United States.

12. Anthony Von Mandl

Net Worth: $4.4 billion

Anthony Von Mandl is the founder of the Mark Anthony Brand. He is responsible for the creation of the famous White Claw Hard Seltzer and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Von Mandl was an importer of wine. After buying the Mission Hill Family Estate winery with his business partners, he focused on creating wine, beverages and spirits.

Mandl is also behind Mike’s Hard Lemonade, White Claw Hard Seltzer and the American Vintage Beverage. Today, Mark Anthony Group owns five wineries.

Mark Anthony Wine and Spirits is one of the leading alcoholic beverage brands. Today, the company is the largest producer of ready-to-drink(RTD) products in Canada and the fourth largest in the world

11. Mark Sheinberg

Net Worth: $4.9 billion

Mark Sheinberg is known as the co-founder of the online gambling company, Pokerstars. Born in 1974, the Israeli-Canadian billionaire co-founded the Pokerstars company with his father, Isai Sheinberg. Issa Sheinberg worked in IBM Canada as a senior programmer.

In 2001, Pokerstars launched with beta money that was only available on the site. After some time, it started offering real money bets. Pokerstars was under the parent company’s umbrella, Rational Enterprises, located in the Isle of Man. When the online gambling site launched, it quickly became one of the largest in the world.

It obtained licenses in several countries, and it hosted the largest tournament online. Due to some legal issues, PokerStars was sold to Amaya Software for $5 billion.

10. Emanuele (Lino) Saputo & Family

Net Worth: $5.1 billion

Emanuele Lino Saputo is the chairman of Saputo Inc, one of the most extensive dairy and cheese companies in North America. It was established in 1954 by Emanuele Saputo’s father.

When Emanuele Saputo took over from his father as President of the company, he made many changes. He made a series of acquisitions that placed them on the map as the largest dairy company in Canada. He purchased two manufacturing plants in the US and several manufacturing sites in Canada.

Today, the company operates in Canada, Australia, Argentina and the United States. It has about 65 facilities globally, with a market capitalization of $10.8 billion.

9. Jim Pattison

Net Worth: $5.7 billion

Jim Pattison is one of the 15 richest people in Canada. He is the CEO and founder of the second-largest privately-held company, the Jim Pattison Group. With interests in entertainment, packaging, forestry, and other industries, the Group has 25 sectors. The company has operations around the globe, including the United States.

Pattison expanded his business ventures by purchasing other companies. He has made over 200 acquisitions. The Group also owns Canfor, a forest products company. One of the most notable acquisitions of the company is in the entertainment division. The Group owns Ripley’s Believe it or Not! franchise. Under the management of Jim Pattison, it has expanded into Guinness World Records and Great Wolf Lodge.

8. Chip Wilson

Net Worth: $5.7 billion

Chip Wilson is the founder of several retail apparel companies. He is known for being the founder of Lululemon Athletica Inc (NASDAQ: LULU), a sports apparel company. In 1979, he established the Westbeach retail company that sold clothes for surfers and snowboarders.

Lululemon created athletic apparel inspired by yoga. It was one of the first companies to produce yoga wear. It started in Canada, but later expanded its operations across the world, including the United States. Wilson remained as the CEO of the company until 2005.

7. James K. Irving

Net Worth: $6.3 billion

James Kenneth Irving owns J. D. Irving ltd, a conglomerate that deals with products in different sectors like forestry, tissue, lumber, transportation and frozen food. The company, which he inherited from his grandfather, was established in 1882.

James K. Irving inherited a publishing company called Brunswick News from his father. James Kenneth Irving diversified the company and expanded its operations. In 1957, he commissioned reforestation and tree improvement activities that developed the forestry industry.

This forestry operation is responsible for planting almost a billion trees in Canada. It is a major conglomerate with several divisions and operations in Canada and the United States.

6. Huang Chulong

Net Worth: $6.4 billion

Huang Chulong is a Canadian billionaire who owns Galaxy Holdings Group, a real estate developer based in China. He is the chairman of the company. The Group has investments in hotel management, shopping malls, parking spaces and office leasing. His company is responsible for significant real estate developments in China. For 32 years, the company has been thriving and expanding its operations.

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