Norman Murray Edwards

Early life

Norman Murray Edwards was born on December 10, 1959 in Regina, Saskatchewan. He is the grandson of immigrants, with his father’s parents coming from England, and his mother’s parents coming from Wales. His grandparents were homesteaders, and Edwards has been quoted as saying they depended on both entrepreneurial and collaborative mindsets in order to thrive. His father was an accountant and his mother a primary school teacher, and both instilled the importance of education in him from an early age. Edwards grew up loving and playing hockey, a passion which would later inspire him to take ownership of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. In high school, he refereed hockey games four nights a week for spending money.

After completing high school, Murray Edwards studied at the University of Saskatchewan, earning several academic scholarships along the way and graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce degree with great distinction. During his time at the University of Saskatchewan, he also won the President’s Medal as the most distinguished graduate and the Xerox Canada prize as the most distinguished graduate from the College of Commerce. He would then go on to obtain an LL.B from the University of Toronto in 1983 before beginning his career in earnest.

Career

The very day after his graduation ceremony from the University of Toronto, Edwards drove 30 hours over the course of three days to start work at Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer, a Calgary-area law firm. As a result of his hard work and success at the firm, he was promoted to partner within four years.

But even as he rose through the ranks at Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer, his attention turned to investment banking, a new interest he had been cultivating for some time. At the age of 28, he decided to leave the legal world to pursue a career in business full-time. He and a few colleagues launched a merchant bank, with each of them contributing $100,000 to get it off the ground. The new concern’s focus was in the realm of natural resources, primarily oil and natural gas.

Armed with $2 million in the bank, the company’s first venture was to drill a natural gas well, which cost $1 million and failed to produce any natural gas. In response, Edwards and his colleagues adapted, instead focusing on the acquisitions of assets that were already producing. This change in strategy paid off, and eventually these newly acquired assets grew to be worth $200 million. From there, his career truly took off.

After a string of big successes, Murray Edwards would eventually become chairman of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL), helping to shape the company into one of the largest independent crude oil and natural gas producers in the world. Under his leadership, CNRL invested heavily in developing Alberta’s oil sands, with long-term projects worth tens of billions of dollars. He also became a significant figure in the overall Canadian energy sector, often offering policy advice to federal leaders, including Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin, and Stephen Harper.

Edwards would go on to expand his business interests across multiple industries. He became chairman and majority shareholder of Magellan Aerospace Corporation, a company which supplies advanced aerospace systems and components to interests around the world. He also served as chairman of Ensign Energy Services Inc., one of Canada’s largest oilfield service companies. His ownership group, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, operates several well-known ski destinations across Canada.

Additionally, Murray Edwards became a major figure in Canadian sports through his role as the head of the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC), which owns the NHL’s Calgary Flames, the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders, the city’s professional lacrosse team, as well as a few minor league hockey teams.

Over the years, Murray Edwards has also received several awards and accolades commemorating his achievements. In 2013, he was initiated as a Member of the Order of Canada, one of that nation’s highest honours, for the many contributions he has made to his home country. In 2014, Edwards received the Horatio Alger Award, as presented by the Horatio Alger Association of Canada, an educational nonprofit that honours exceptional Canadians and provides scholarships to young people who persevere through adversity. Edwards has also been the recipient of three honorary law degrees, one from the University of Saskatchewan, one from the University of Calgary, and one from the University of Toronto.

Net Worth

According to Forbes, as of October 2025, Murray Edwards’ net worth is approximately $3.4 billion dollars.