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10 Sherry Brydson Facts: An Activist who Chose a Private Life

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Sherry Brydson has always been a rich woman, until, in December 2013, a breakthrough took place which ranked her as one of the wealthiest people in Canada. Sherry was satisfied to spend her life away from the public eye and the media spotlight, which ironically had brought her all her fortune. In this blog, we will learn about several Sherry Brydson facts and discuss why, despite being a billionaire and the richest Canadian, she is relatively unknown to a vast majority of people.

Sherry Brydson: The Richest Canadian

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Sherry Brydson is a businesswoman from Canada. She is the largest shareholder in Woodbridge, an Ontario-based investment corporation that managed the wealth of Roy Thomson’s seven grandchildren. A descendant of Roy Thomson’s media empire, she owns most of Woodbridge, an Ontario-based financial firm that manages Roy Thomson’s seven grandchildren’s wealth. Thomson Reuters Corp., the world’s largest financial data provider and has 55% ownership in the company.

She is ranked as the 2nd richest person in Canada. Viking Air, Elmwood Spa, and Vista Radio are all owned by her. Through the Irma J. Brydson Foundation, she is helping with the Toronto YMCA. Sherry Brydson’s net worth is estimated to be $13.8 billion, making her Canada’s wealthiest woman.

Sherry Brydson Facts: Early Life

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  1. Sherry is the Granddaughter of Roy Thomson.

Sherry Brydson is the granddaughter of Roy Thomson, the first Baron of Fleet Street and the family force behind the Globe and Mail and Thomson Reuter’s media empires.

  1. Sherry was an activist and businesswoman since her college days.

In the 1960s, Sherry attended the University of Toronto as a political science and economics student. She also contributed to The Varsity, the school newspaper. She took part in the 1970 Abortion Caravan, in which hundreds of women marched from British Columbia to Parliament Hill in Ottawa to protest the country’s restrictive abortion regulations. Moreover, Sherry was one of 30 women who sat in the House of Commons, shackled to their seats in protest.

Sherry Brydson Facts: Business life

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  1. She owns the largest single stake in the family fortune.

The Thomson family was ranked the richest family in Canada in 2012 by Canadian Business magazine, with a total worth of $20.1 billion. Brydson owns 23% of the share in Woodbridge Co., the family’s asset management organization.

  1. In the past, she has also worked as a journalist and currently owns a Thai restaurant.

Brydson worked as a journalist in Australia after graduating from university and traveled to Thailand, where she fell in love with the culture. She bought a run-down Toronto hotel in 1979 and restored it to create a women’s networking club. She eventually enlarged the space to add Elmwood, a Thai restaurant, and a spa. Both of which are still operational today.

  1.  Sherry owns an Airlines and FM Radio network as well.

Sherry Brydson owns Viking Air in North Saanich, which is producing a resurrected edition of the Twin Otter jet for global customers, through her Toronto-based family office, Westerkirk Capital. Brydson has experimented with real estate and oil and gas‌.

She’s also involved in several businesses, including a turboprop manufacturer in B.C., the Moose FM radio network in Ontario, and a hotel developer in Nova Scotia.

Sherry Brydson Facts: Present life

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  1. Sherry is an extremely private person.

There isn’t a lot of information available concerning Brydson’s personal life. She’s certainly picked quite a few tips on how to go under the radar over the years. Her age, marital status, and whether she has children are all well-held secrets.

Sherry Brydson is one of six members of the Thomson family who have never been listed on a global wealth list. According to Bloomberg data, she and four of her first cousins are the first Canadian women to be named billionaires. However, Brydson always denies interview requests through a representative.

From Toronto, Trevor Cole, a novelist, and journalist who has written about the family stated, “Most people don’t know she exists. People who read the paper are familiar with the name Thomson and are aware that they are wealthy individuals, but they do not know who they are.”

Less-known Sherry Brydson Facts

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  1. Sherry is an Art Enthusiast and Supports arts.

Brydson, a longtime supporter of the arts, sponsored a benefit at her Elmwood Spa in Toronto, which featured paintings by painter Charles Pachter.

After the Royal BC Museum in Victoria was refused funding to purchase the items, Brydson and cousin David Thomson paid $5.7 million for a collection of sacred Tsimshian aboriginal artworks.

  1. She is an active personality for charity.

After paying $5.7 million for a collection of sacred Tsimshian aboriginal artworks. Later, the couple funded a national tour to present the works to the public.”These gems were meant to be passed down through the generations. One of the worst blunders ever made was the way they were stolen, and it has been returned,” Brydson told the Globe and Mail‌.

  1. Sherry has contributed millions in remembrance of her parents.

In remembrance of her mother, Irma Thomson Brydson, who died in 1966, Brydson contributed $5 million to the YWCA Toronto in 2009. In memory of her late mother, Imra, the owner of the award-winning Bangkok Garden restaurant and Elmwood Spa, has established a philanthropic foundation. She’s also helped the YWCA develop the Elm Centre, a downtown Toronto affordable housing facility for women and children, making it one of Canada’s greatest grants to a charitable organization.

  1. She has some firm beliefs.

Sherry Brydson believes that well-being comes from a balance of inner and outer beauty, as well as living within a healthy environment and society.

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