Canada's richest people are David Thomson and family, worth about US$73.7 billion and ranked 22nd globally from media and publishing. Wealth Professional, summarizing Forbes March 5 2025 data, reports that fortune and ranking in its Wealth Professional ranking. Their assets sit mainly in companies, property and investments grouped around a family holding company.
That holding company is The Woodbridge Company Limited. It is the family's primary investment vehicle and holds a majority stake in Thomson Reuters. Woodbridge described that role in a 2026 release covering Thomson Reuters, listed in Toronto and on Nasdaq, in its Woodbridge announcement.
Table of Contents
- How Woodbridge controls Thomson Reuters
- What role does David Thomson hold?
- What sits in the Osmington property portfolio?
- Where do sports and art fit?
- Why control matters more than cash
How Woodbridge controls Thomson Reuters
Woodbridge is the dominant Thomson Reuters shareholder. A Schedule 13D/A reported through StockTitan put beneficial ownership at about 69% in 2024. The same filing record reported 313.6 million shares, about 70.5%, on Nov. 10 2025.
The filing also stated that Woodbridge will maintain control. That position is explained in the SEC filing report. For readers, share count matters more than headlines. Voting control shapes board and corporate decisions.
What role does David Thomson hold?
David Thomson serves as chairman of Thomson Reuters. He serves with his brother Peter Thomson as chairman of Woodbridge.
The Thomson Reuters 2023 Annual Report presents both men as representatives of the family owners. That structure keeps operating leadership separate from family control. It also explains why Woodbridge, not an individual, is the key owner.
What sits in the Osmington property portfolio?
David Thomson founded and controls Osmington Inc. outside the main empire. The Canadian Encyclopedia says it was seeded with about $95 million of Thomson stock.
Osmington owns and manages about $1.5 billion in property, including One Yonge Street. That detail appears in the Canadian Encyclopedia profile. It gives Thomson direct property exposure apart from Woodbridge. It also carries different risk from the public-company stake.
Where do sports and art fit?
Through Osmington, Thomson partnered with Mark Chipman in True North Sports and Entertainment. The True North overview links that venture to co-ownership of the NHL Winnipeg Jets.
The same venture is tied to downtown Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre, built on Osmington land. Separately, the Canadian Encyclopedia's Art Gallery of Ontario article credits Kenneth Thomson with donating over 2,000 artworks. It also credits a $50 million expansion gift and a $20 million endowment.
Why control matters more than cash
Published fortunes combine extended-family assets held through Woodbridge. Financial Advisor Magazine reported in October 2012 that David Thomson held about 14% of Woodbridge.
That means the headline total is not one bank balance. It moves with Thomson Reuters shares, while control of about 70% of votes has lasting weight for corporate decisions.