50 Most Influential 2012: nine formidable Toronto power couples

(Images: Daniel Ehrenworth, Vanessa Heins, Markian Lozowchuk, George Pimentel, Lee Towndrow, Raina and Wilson, BFA, CP Images, Getstock, Getty Images and Reuters)

Andy Pringle, chairman of RP Investment Advisors, and Valerie Pringle, TV host

HOME BASE: Forest Hill and Niagara-on-the-Lake

PET PROJECTS: Fort York revitalization (for which they secured $1 million from the Weston Foundation), CANFAR (which counts them among their most prominent members)

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: Jim Flaherty and Christine Elliott, Gord and Janet Nixon, Tony and Shari Fell

Ilse Treurnicht, CEO of MaRS, and David Naylor, president of U of T

HOME BASE: U of T president’s residence, Rosedale

PET PROJECTS: U of T expansion projects, stem cell research funding

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: John and Gay Evans, David and Shelley Peterson, Rob Prichard and Ann Wilson, Gord Nixon

Edward Sonshine, CEO of RioCan, and Fran Sonshine, chair of the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem

HOME BASE: North York

PET PROJECTS: The United Jewish Appeal, the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto, the United Way, Baycrest, Mount Sinai

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: Ron Appleby, Fred Waks, Murray Koffler, Gord Nixon, John Tory, Ron Osborne, Paul Godfrey

Catherine Deluce, CEO of Chestnut Park, and Robert Deluce, CEO of Porter Airlines

HOME BASE: Rosedale

PET PROJECTS: Conquering both land and sky, sticking it to Air Canada

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: Porter passengers, including Bay Street bigwigs and Ottawa politicos

Galen Weston, executive chairman of George Weston Ltd., and Hilary Weston, fundraising juggernaut

HOME BASE: Forest Hill; Vero Beach, Florida; Windsor, England

PET PROJECTS: The ROM, the Ontario Science Centre, the AGO, Fort York, the Writers’ Trust

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla, Tony and Helen Graham, Susan Perren, Martin Connell and Linda Haynes, John and Sally Eaton

Ira Gluskin, vice-chairman of Gluskin Sheff, and Maxine Granovsky Gluskin, VP of AGO trustees

HOME BASE: Forest Hill

PET PROJECTS: The AGO, U of T, the National Ballet (they sponsor principal dancer Heather Ogden)

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: Gerry Sheff and Shanitha Kachan, Matthew Teitelbaum, Larry and Judy Tanenbaum, Jack Rabinovitch, Charles and Libby Winograd

Gerry Schwartz, CEO of Onex, and Heather Reisman, CEO of Indigo

HOME BASE: Rosedale and Palm Beach, Florida

PET PROJECTS: HESEG (a charity for Israeli soldiers), the Peres Center for Peace in Israel, the Harper Conservatives

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: Brent and Lynn Belzberg, Rob and Ann Prichard, Michael Budman and Diane Bald, Larry and Judy Tanenbaum, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones

Joseph Rotman, chairman of Roy-L Capital, and Sandra Rotman, philanthropist

HOME BASE: Forest Hill

PET PROJECTS: U of T, UHN, AGO, COC, Baycrest, Western University

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: Roger Martin, Heather Reisman and Gerry Schwartz, Tony Graham, Peter and Melanie Munk, Rosalie and Irving Abella, Rob Prichard and Ann Wilson, Lawrence and Fran Bloomberg

Ed Rogers, deputy chairman of Rogers, and Suzanne Rogers, philanthropist

HOME BASE: Forest Hill

PET PROJECTS: SickKids Foundation, the Onexone Foundation, young fashion designers

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: John Tory, Peter Godsoe, Duncan Jackman, Michael Burns