Top 10 Richest Canadians (2024)
As a record number of Canadians head to a local food bank this year for some assistance with basic needs, these fortunate individuals will never have to worry about something like that.
1. David Thomson & Family
David Thomson and his family control a media and publishing empire founded by his grandfather Roy Thomson.
The Thomson family has substantial business interests, particularly in the media industry. They have been involved in the ownership of major media companies, making them influential players in global media markets.
NET WORTH: $54.4 BILLION
Age: 66
Source of Wealth: Inheritance
Residence: Toronto, Canada
Citizenship: Canada
2. Changpeng Zhao
Changpeng Zhao, who goes by CZ, is the founder and CEO of Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world.
Zhao founded Binance in July 2017, raising $15 million through an initial coin offering. In 2022, Binance facilitated spot trades worth $5.3 trillion, over two-thirds of all volume handled by centralized crypto exchanges.
Binance has faced regulatory scrutiny and investigations across Europe, Asia and the U.S. over concerns of permitting money laundering and wire fraud. Binance has denied all wrongdoing.
NET WORTH: $10.5 BILLION
Age: 46
Source of Wealth: Cryptocurrency exchange
Residence: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Citizenship: Canada
3. Jim Pattison
Jim Pattison oversees a sprawling group that operates 25 divisions including packaging, food and entertainment.
Pattison’s first business was a GM dealership he bought in 1961. The Canadian billionaire also controls more than 40% of publicly-traded forest products company Canfor. His entertainment division includes Guinness World Records, the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! chain and Great Wolf Lodge’s Canadian franchise rights.
NET WORTH: $9.5 BILLION
Age: 95
Source of Wealth: Diversified
Residence: Vancouver, Canada
Citizenship: Canada
4. David Cheriton
“Professor Billionaire” David Cheriton, who is professor emeritus at Stanford University, made his fortune thanks to an early investment in Google.
Cheriton and Andreas von Bechtolsheim (also now a billionaire) each invested $100,000 in Google when it was just getting started.
The pair cofounded 3 companies: Arista Networks (IPO in 2014), Granite Systems (sold to Cisco in 1996) and Kealia (sold to Sun Microsystems in 2004).
NET WORTH: $9.0 BILLION
Age: 95
Source of Wealth: Google Investment
Residence: Palo Alto, California
Citizenship: Canada
5. Anthony von Mandl
Anthony von Mandl, created the ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages White Claw Hard Seltzer and Mike’s Hard Lemonade through his Mark Anthony Brands.
He began his career in the Canadian wine business as an importer in the 1970s at age 22.
He currently owns five wineries in Canada, including Mission Hill Winery in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.
NET WORTH: $9.0 BILLION
Age: 73
Source of Wealth: Alcoholic beverages
Residence: Vancouver, Canada
Citizenship: Canada
6. Joseph Tsai
Joseph Tsai, is vice chairman and cofounder of Alibaba Group, and ranks as its second-largest individual shareholder after Jack Ma.
In 2018, he bought 49% of the Brooklyn Nets National Basketball Association team; the following year he purchased the remaining 51%.
He holds two degrees from Yale University–an undergraduate degree in economics and East Asian studies and a law degree.
NET WORTH: $7.6 BILLION
Age: 59
Source of Wealth: E-commerce
Residence: Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Citizenship: Canada
7. Alain Bouchard
Alain Bouchard, cofounded convenience store conglomerate Alimentation Couche-Tard with a single Quebec shop in 1980.
As executive chairman, Bouchard still oversees the $63 billion (sales) company, which boasts more than 14,000 owned or franchised stores worldwide.
Bouchard, who grew the business rapidly by snatching up competitors, retired as president and CEO in September 2014.
Couche-Tard acquired the Circle K chain in 2003 and the Holiday Stationstores and CST Brands chains in 2017.
NET WORTH: $6.0 BILLION
Age: 74
Source of Wealth: Convenience stores
Residence: Montreal, Canada
Citizenship: Canada
8. Arthur Irving
Arthur Irving, owns 100% of Irving Oil, which operates gas stations and oil refineries, through the Arthur Irving Family Trust.
Arthur is a third-generation member of a Canadian dynasty. His grandfather, James Dergavel Irving, started the family business in the late 1800s.
His dad Kenneth Colin (K.C) Irving added oil operations in 1920s; Arthur and his 2 brothers reportedly divided up the empire after KC’s death in 1992.
NET WORTH: $5.7 BILLION
Age: 93
Source of Wealth: Oil
Residence: Saint John, Canada
Citizenship: Canada
9. James Irving
James Irving, owns J.D. Irving, a conglomerate with more than two dozen companies in frozen foods, retail, shipbuilding, transportation and more.
His timber and forestry operation, based in New Brunswick, has planted over a billion trees since 1957.
Irving Woodlands, a division of J.D. Irving, is the sixth-largest landowner in the U.S. with 1.25 million acres of land.
NET WORTH: $5.5 BILLION
Age: 95
Source of Wealth: Diversified
Residence: Saint John, Canada
Citizenship: Canada
10. Mark Scheinberg
Mark Scheinberg, co-founded PokerStars with his father, Isai, and built it into the world’s biggest online poker company before cashing out in 2014.
He helped launch PokerStars in 2001, at age 28, and benefited tremendously from the poker boom that soon swept the U.S. and the rest of world.
Scheinberg, who owned 75% of parent business Rational Group at the time, pocketed more than $3 billion from the sale.
NET WORTH: $5.2 BILLION
Age: 49
Source of Wealth: Online gambling
Residence: Isle of Man, United Kingdom
Citizenship: Canada
