Clayton Howard Riddell, OC (July 13, 1937 – September 15, 2018) was a Canadian
billionaire
A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least one billion (1,000,000,000, i.e., a thousand million) units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. The American busin ...
businessman who was the founder, president and CEO of
Paramount Resources
Paramount Resources Ltd. is a Canadian petroleum company, founded in 1976. The company is involved in the exploration, development, production, processing, transportation and marketing of natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or sim ...
, based in
Calgary, Alberta
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...
.
Early life
He was born on a farm near
Treherne, Manitoba
Treherne is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Norfolk Treherne within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held town status prior to January 1, 2015. It is halfway between Winnipeg and Brandon on Provincial Highway 2. Pri ...
on July 13, 1937, the youngest child of
Cecil Howard Riddell and Bertha Maude Riddell née Taylor. Riddell earned with a bachelor's degree in geology from the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.
Career
He was part owner of the
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
, and high-end Calgary restaurant ''Catch''. With an estimated net worth of US$2.5 billion (as of March 2011), he was ranked by ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' as the 12th wealthiest Canadian and 459th in the world.
Riddell was a president of the
Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists
The Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG) is a professional geological society in Canada. The CSPG works to advance the science of geology, foster professional development of members and promote community awareness of the profession. The ...
and chair of the
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
.
The Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources at the University of Manitoba is named in his honour. He donated $10 million to create an endowment fund for the faculty, which combines the Department of Environment and Geography, the Department of Geological Sciences and the Natural Resources Institute.
In 2008, Riddell was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
for his leadership and philanthropy.
In May 2010,
Carleton University
Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...
announced the creation of Canada's first graduate program in political management, Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management, made possible through a donation from Riddell that is the largest in Carleton's history.
Personal life
He was married to Vi Thorarinson, a nurse for 49 years until her death from leukemia in 2012. They had three daughters and a son together, Lynne, Sue, Jim and Brenda. Sue Riddell Rose is the CEO of Perpetual Energy.
Riddell died on September 15, 2018, after a short illness.