David Onley
Encyclopedia
David Charles Onley, OOnt
(born June 12, 1950) is the 28th and current Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
, Canada
.
Onley was a television journalist prior to his viceregal appointment. He worked primarily for Citytv
as a science and technology reporter, and for the 24-hour news station CablePulse 24
as a news anchor and host of a weekly technology series, Home Page
. A published author, he was founding president of the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Canada.
, and raised in West Hill on Orchard Park Drive in Scarborough
, now part of Toronto
. He was educated at the University of Toronto
, graduating with a degree in political science
.
Beginning at the age of three, Onley battled with polio, resulting in partial paralysis. However, as a result of extensive physical therapy, he regained the use of his hands and arms, and partial use of his legs. Onley is able to walk using leg braces and canes or crutches, but he generally prefers to get around using his electric scooter. He is able to drive a car using hand controls for acceleration and braking.
network in 1983. He then joined Citytv in 1984, as weather
specialist, a position he held until 1989. In a 2004 interview with Link Up, a Toronto employment agency for people with disabilities, Onley stated that
From 1989 to 1995 he was the first news anchor on the then-new Breakfast Television
, Citytv's morning show
. He served as education
specialist for Citytv and CablePulse 24 from 1994 to 1999. Onley became an anchor on CP24, when the station launched in 1999, and both hosted and produced Home Page
on CP24.
He was one of Canada's first on-air television personalities with a visible disability; he uses a mobility device due to his paralysis. Camera shots began with only upper body shots but Onley demanded that the shot include him in his mobility device. In honour of his contributions to the advancement of disability issues in Canada, he has received awards from the Terry Fox
Hall of Fame in 1997, and the Clarke Institute's Courage to Come Back award. He was appointed Chair of the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council to the Minister of Community and Social Services in 2005. He was most recently inducted into the Scarborough Walk of Fame in 2006.
Onley wrote Shuttle: A Shattering Novel of Disaster in Space, a bestselling novel about space travel
, published in 1981. It was nominated by the Periodical Distributors of Canada as book of the year. He was founding president of the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Canada
.
Onley's appointment as Lieutenant Governor was announced on July 10, 2007; he was privately informed of this after a July 4, 2007, taping of Home Page: "I just had reached the top of the Don Valley Parkway
... and there was no place to pull over. And when the Prime Minister
of your country calls, all you can try to do is stay in the same lane, avoid any fender-benders and have a meaningful conversation, which I did."
His first known interview as the designate was to CP24.
He was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor on September 5, 2007, at Queen's Park in Toronto. As the province's first lieutenant governor with a disability, Onley said he would use his vice-regal position to help remove physical barriers to Ontario's 1.5 million people with disabilities, as well as focus on other issues affecting the disabled, including obstacles to employment and housing. Onley also stated, in his installation speech, that he would expand on his immediate predecessor James Bartleman's First Nations
literacy initiatives, his aim being to see computers on every student's desk in northern schools. For his installation, Onley approached the legislature on his electric scooter
, however he ascended the Throne on foot, using leg braces and canes. Onley also travelled to China
to represent the Queen and Canada at the 2008 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony
.
Onley and his wife continue to reside in their Scarborough
home; Ontario is one of three provinces that does not have an official vice-regal residence.
performer. They have three sons, Jonathan, Robert and Michael.
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Canada
|Order of Ontario
|Chancellor
|2007–present
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Commonwealth Realms
|Order of St John
|Vice-Prior of the Order of St. John in Ontario, Knight of Justice of the Order
|2007–present
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| Canada
|Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons
|King Clancy
Award
|1992
|
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| Canada
|Scarborough Women Teachers Association
|Award for Broadcasting Excellence
|1992
|
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| Canada
|Clarke Institute
|Courage to Come Back Award
|1996
|
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| Canada
|Terry Fox Hall of Fame
|Inductee
|1997–present
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| Canada
|University of Toronto
|Positive Impact Award
|2001
|
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| Canada
|City of Scarborough
|Scarborough Walk of Fame Inductee
|2006–present
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| Canada
|Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School
|National Leadership Award
|2009
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|-
| Canada
|Centennial College
|Honorary Fellow
|2003–present
|
|-
| Canada
|University of Guelph-Humber
|Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)
|2008
|
|-
| Canada
|University of Windsor
|Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)
|2008
|
|-
| Canada
|University of Western Ontario
|Doctor of Laws (jure dignitatis)
|2008
|
|-
| Canada
|University of Toronto
|Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)
|2009
|
|-
| Canada
|York University
|Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)
|2009
|}
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
(born June 12, 1950) is the 28th and current Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario is the viceregal representative in Ontario of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest realm, the United...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Onley was a television journalist prior to his viceregal appointment. He worked primarily for Citytv
CITY-TV
CITY-DT, Channel 57 , is a television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada owned and operated by Rogers Media...
as a science and technology reporter, and for the 24-hour news station CablePulse 24
CablePulse 24
CablePulse24 ' is a Canadian English language Category A specialty news channel owned and operated by Bell Media. Based in Toronto, it focuses on local news from the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario, although it also covers national and international news...
as a news anchor and host of a weekly technology series, Home Page
Home Page (television series)
Home Page was a technology television that aired show on CablePulse 24, hosted by Omar Sachedina.Original host David Onley left the program, after being appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. He was replaced by Amber MacArthur on departure, and soon after Jee-Yun Lee took over, when MacArthur...
. A published author, he was founding president of the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Canada.
Early life
David Onley was born in Midland, OntarioMidland, Ontario
Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.Situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, with a 125-bed hospital and a local airport. It is the main town of the southern Georgian Bay area...
, and raised in West Hill on Orchard Park Drive in Scarborough
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
, now part of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. He was educated at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, graduating with a degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
.
Beginning at the age of three, Onley battled with polio, resulting in partial paralysis. However, as a result of extensive physical therapy, he regained the use of his hands and arms, and partial use of his legs. Onley is able to walk using leg braces and canes or crutches, but he generally prefers to get around using his electric scooter. He is able to drive a car using hand controls for acceleration and braking.
Career
David Onley began his career in radio, hosting a weekly science show for Toronto radio station CFRB, subsequently joining the CKOCKO
CKO was a Canadian radio news network which operated from 1977 to 1989. The CKO call sign was shared by twelve network-owned stations, as listed below....
network in 1983. He then joined Citytv in 1984, as weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
specialist, a position he held until 1989. In a 2004 interview with Link Up, a Toronto employment agency for people with disabilities, Onley stated that
From 1989 to 1995 he was the first news anchor on the then-new Breakfast Television
Breakfast Television
Breakfast Television is a Canadian morning news and entertainment program which airs on the Citytv stations . Each station produces its own local edition of Breakfast Television....
, Citytv's morning show
Breakfast television
Breakfast television or morning show , is a type of infotainment television program, broadcast live in the morning...
. He served as education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
specialist for Citytv and CablePulse 24 from 1994 to 1999. Onley became an anchor on CP24, when the station launched in 1999, and both hosted and produced Home Page
Home Page (television series)
Home Page was a technology television that aired show on CablePulse 24, hosted by Omar Sachedina.Original host David Onley left the program, after being appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. He was replaced by Amber MacArthur on departure, and soon after Jee-Yun Lee took over, when MacArthur...
on CP24.
He was one of Canada's first on-air television personalities with a visible disability; he uses a mobility device due to his paralysis. Camera shots began with only upper body shots but Onley demanded that the shot include him in his mobility device. In honour of his contributions to the advancement of disability issues in Canada, he has received awards from the Terry Fox
Terry Fox
Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox , was a Canadian humanitarian, athlete, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research...
Hall of Fame in 1997, and the Clarke Institute's Courage to Come Back award. He was appointed Chair of the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council to the Minister of Community and Social Services in 2005. He was most recently inducted into the Scarborough Walk of Fame in 2006.
Onley wrote Shuttle: A Shattering Novel of Disaster in Space, a bestselling novel about space travel
Human spaceflight
Human spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....
, published in 1981. It was nominated by the Periodical Distributors of Canada as book of the year. He was founding president of the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Canada
Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Canada
The Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Canada is a federally chartered and non-profit organization based in Etobicoke, Ontario, that is dedicated to preserving and promoting the achievements of the Canadian aerospace industry.- History :...
.
As Lieutenant Governor
Don Valley Parkway
The Don Valley Parkway is a controlled-access six-lane municipal expressway in Toronto connecting the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto with Ontario Highway 401, the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway. North of Highway 401, it continues as Ontario Highway 404. The parkway runs through...
... and there was no place to pull over. And when the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
of your country calls, all you can try to do is stay in the same lane, avoid any fender-benders and have a meaningful conversation, which I did."
His first known interview as the designate was to CP24.
He was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor on September 5, 2007, at Queen's Park in Toronto. As the province's first lieutenant governor with a disability, Onley said he would use his vice-regal position to help remove physical barriers to Ontario's 1.5 million people with disabilities, as well as focus on other issues affecting the disabled, including obstacles to employment and housing. Onley also stated, in his installation speech, that he would expand on his immediate predecessor James Bartleman's First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
literacy initiatives, his aim being to see computers on every student's desk in northern schools. For his installation, Onley approached the legislature on his electric scooter
Mobility scooter
A mobility scooter is a mobility aid equivalent to a wheelchair but configured like a motorscooter. It is often referred to as a power-operated vehicle/scooter or electric scooter as well.-Description:...
, however he ascended the Throne on foot, using leg braces and canes. Onley also travelled to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to represent the Queen and Canada at the 2008 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony
2008 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony
The 2008 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium on September 6, 2008 just two weeks after the end of the 2008 Summer Olympics. The event was themed "One World, One Dream" and "Transcendence, Integration, Equality." The show was attended by about 91,000 to...
.
Onley and his wife continue to reside in their Scarborough
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
home; Ontario is one of three provinces that does not have an official vice-regal residence.
Personal life
He is married to Ruth Ann Onley, a Christian musicChristian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
performer. They have three sons, Jonathan, Robert and Michael.
Shorthand titles
- June 12, 1950 – September 5, 2007: Mr. David Onley
- September 5, 2007 – present: His Honour The Honourable David Onley, KStJ, O.Ont, LLD, BA
Honours
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Commonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
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|Order of Ontario
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
|Chancellor
|2007–present
|
|-
|
|Order of St John
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
|Vice-Prior of the Order of St. John in Ontario, Knight of Justice of the Order
|2007–present
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|Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons
|King Clancy
King Clancy
Francis Michael "King" Clancy was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, referee, coach and executive. Clancy played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was a member of three Stanley Cup championship teams and won All-Star honours...
Award
|1992
|
|-
|
|Scarborough Women Teachers Association
|Award for Broadcasting Excellence
|1992
|
|-
|
|Clarke Institute
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is a consortium of mental health clinics at several sites in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its name in French is Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale...
|Courage to Come Back Award
|1996
|
|-
|
|Terry Fox Hall of Fame
Terry Fox Hall of Fame
The Terry Fox Hall of Fame recognizes "outstanding Canadians who have made extraordinary contributions to enriching the quality of life for people with physical disabilities". It is run by the Canadian Paraplegic Association. The Hall is named after Terry Fox, a cancer research activist who...
|Inductee
|1997–present
|
|-
|
|University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
|Positive Impact Award
|2001
|
|-
|
|City of Scarborough
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
|Scarborough Walk of Fame Inductee
|2006–present
|
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|
|Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School
|National Leadership Award
|2009
|
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|Centennial College
|Honorary Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
|2003–present
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|University of Guelph-Humber
University of Guelph-Humber
The University of Guelph-Humber is a university-college partnership between the University of Guelph and Humber College. It was established in 2002. It is located on Humber's North Campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
|Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)
|2008
|
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|
|University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
|Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)
|2008
|
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|University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
|Doctor of Laws (jure dignitatis)
|2008
|
|-
|
|University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
|Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)
|2009
|
|-
|
|York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
|Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)
|2009
|}