Considering the damage already wrought by the financial meltdown and ensuing economic slump, Canadian companies performed creditably last year, thanks in no small measure to aggressive cost-cutting, which helped shore up bottom lines. But it’s worth noting that more than half the firms in our Top 1000—503, to be exact—stumbled into a pool of red ink, a dozen more than in 2008.
Top companies facing capital crunch
While some major players performed as if the recession never happened, credit scarcity and red ink are the recurring themes of this year’s Top 1000
In pictures
Which Telecom CEOs provide the best bang for buck?
BCE's George Cope leads the pack with the highest profit per dollar of pay
By the numbers
A breakdown of Canada's telecom industry
Nortel Networks finally met its end and Canada saw the arrival of new, foreign-backed wireless providers. Let the competition begin
In pictures
Which retail CEOs give the best bang for buck?
Loblaw’s Galen Weston and Sears Canada’s Dene Rogers lead the pack
By the numbers
Deconstructing a year in Canada's retail industry
Despite profits being down across the sector, we're still in better shape than the U.S. Maybe that's why the Americans are heading North
In pictures
Big earners in the worlds of banking and insurance
CEOs of TD, RBC, Scotiabank earned a combined $37-million last year
By the numbers
Why everyone loves our banks
In a year marked by continuing turmoil in the financial markets, Canadian banks swept the Top 1000 podium
In pictures
Meet the top-paid Canadian oilmen
These five big earners racked up a combined $52.5-million last year
By the numbers
How did the oil and gas sector fare last year?
Crude prices seesawed from a high of $145 (U.S.) a barrell to a low of $71. So too did the fortunes of Canada's energy companies
RoB Magazine's annual rankings of Canada's largest companies
Rankings of Canada's top 1000 public companies by profit
Our annual ranking of Canada's biggest corporations based on the only metric that matters: profit
Rankings of Canada's 350 biggest private companies
We rank the top private firms by revenue, the one significant measure they disclose
Spreadsheet download
You can purchase a spreadsheet copy of the Top 1000, which includes more information than the magazine, such as earnings per share, dividend yield, financial ratios, major shareholder and much more.
Definitions for Top 1000
Making sense of the Top 1000 rankings
Top 1000 feature stories
Gold
As Barrick tones up, investors fail to notice
Record profits, low-cost mines, end of hedging fail to give a boost
Energy
A dividend stock that powers portfolios
Utility owner Emera targets future growth through diversification into renewable energy
Top 1000
Investors enticed by Genworth MI
Value investors present a compelling argument for publicly traded mortgage insurer
Top 1000
How Sobeys is taking on Loblaws
Price Chopper chain worst-performing discount grocer in Canada, but head office has cooked up a way to overtake its rivals
Top 1000 Companies
Banks' last frontier: Insurance
But your friendly neighbourhood insurance broker is not in a mood to share
Top 1000
Why the wireless war is good for you
A new crop of wireless providers is hoping to ensnare customers with bare-bones service plans
Top 1000
The oil sands: redeemed by fire?
As the oil sands are castigated for high costs and a dirty footprint, an upstart extraction technology—combustion—promises a fix on both fronts. The potential is explosive in more ways than one
Top 1000
Goldcorp's big shoes
Can Chuck Jeannes, a low-key operations guy, realize the destiny of a company defined by big personalities and relentless dealmaking?
More Top 1000 (sector) rankings
How do Canada's transportation and automotive firms stack up?
Find out in Report on Business Magazine's Top 1000 rankings
How do Canada's crown corporations stack up?
Find out in Report on Business Magazine's Top 1000 rankings
How do Canada's oil and gas firms stack up?
Find out in Report on Business Magazine's Top 1000 rankings
The Top 1000 archive
2009 issue
In the 25th-anniversary issue, unless you were selling oil, it was a year that profits swooned in the heat of the global meltdown.
2008 issue
In a turbulent year, banks and oil companies dominated The Top 1000 profit ranking.
2007 issue
Canadian corporate profits kept soaring, and foreign predators liked what they saw.
