David Onley

The Honourable David Charles Onley OOnt
28th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
In office September 5, 2007 – September 23, 2014
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	Michaëlle Jean David Johnston
Premier	Dalton McGuinty Kathleen Wynne
Preceded by	James Bartleman
Succeeded by	Elizabeth Dowdeswell
Personal details
Born	David Charles Onley (1950-06-12) June 12, 1950 Midland, Ontario
Spouse(s)	Ruth Ann Onley
Profession	Journalist
Religion	Evangelical Christian, Baptist[1]

David Charles Onley,^[2] OOnt (born June 12, 1950)^[3] was the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario^[4] from 2007 until 2014.^[5]

Prior to his viceregal appointment Onley was a television journalist. He worked primarily for Citytv as a weather reporter, before moving on to cover science and technology stories. Later on, he worked with 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.

His seven-year term makes him the longest serving Lieutenant Governor of Ontario since Albert Edward Matthews (1937-1946) and the province's second longest serving viceroy since Confederation.

Early life

David Onley was born in Midland, Ontario, and raised in West Hill on Orchard Park Drive in Scarborough,^[6] now part of Toronto. He was educated at the University of Toronto Scarborough, graduating with a degree in political science.

Beginning at the age of three,^[7] 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

Onley began his career in radio, hosting a weekly science show for Toronto radio station CFRB, subsequently joining the CKO 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.^[6]

He was one of Canada's first on-air television personalities with a visible disability;^[6] 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,^[6] and the Clarke Institute's Courage to Come Back award.^[6] He was appointed Chair of the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council to the Minister of Community and Social Services in 2005.^[9] 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 returned to his acting roots, with a cameo appearance in the sixth season of the Canadian TV series Murdoch Mysteries. The episode, "The Ghost of Queens Park" aired in Canada on February 25, 2013. In it he played the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Sir Oliver Mowat.^[10]

As Lieutenant Governor

Queen Elizabeth II holds audience with Lieutenant Governor of Ontario David C. Onley at Buckingham Palace, 2008

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."^[4]

He was sworn in 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.^[11] 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.^[12] Onley delivered his last speech from the throne to the Ontario Legislative Assembly on July 3, 2014; his last full day in office was September 22, 2014 with his successor sworn in the following afternoon.

Onley and his wife resided in their Scarborough home during his vice-regal tenure as Ontario is one of three provinces that does not have an official vice-regal residence.^[13]

During Onley's mandate, he participated in 2550 engagements, during which he spoke to an estimated audience of over one million people.^[14]

Post-viceregal life

Onley was appointed as senior lecturer in the Department of Political Sciences at University of Toronto Scarborough, his alma mater. His appointment began on October 1, 2014. He will also serve as the University's Special Ambassador for the Pan Am and Parapan American Games.^[15]

Personal life

He is married to Ruth Ann Onley, a Christian music performer.^[16] They have three sons, Jonathan, Robert and Michael.^[6]

Titles, styles, honours, and awards

Titles

Viceregal styles of David C. Onley (2007-2014)
Reference style	His Honour the Honourable Son Honneur l'honorable
Spoken style	Your Honour Votre Honneur
Alternative style	Sir Monsieur

• June 12, 1950 – September 5, 2007: Mr. David C. Onley
• September 5, 2007 – September 23, 2014: His Honour the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
• September 23, 2014 – : The Honourable David C. Onley

Honours

Country Award or order Class or position Year Citation Canada Order of Ontario Chancellor and Member 2007–2014 Canada Order of Ontario Member 2014–present Order of St John Vice-Prior of the Order of St. John in Ontario, Knight of Justice of the Order 2007–present [17]

Country Organization Award or position Year Citation Canada Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons King Clancy Award 1992 [18] Canada Scarborough Women Teachers Association Award for Broadcasting Excellence 1992 [19] Canada Clarke Institute Courage to Come Back Award 1996 [6] Canada Terry Fox Hall of Fame Inductee 1997–present [6] Canada University of Toronto Positive Impact Award 2001 [19] Canada City of Scarborough Scarborough Walk of Fame Inductee 2006–present [6] Canada Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School National Leadership Award 2009 [20]

Academic honours

Country Organization Award or position Year Citation Canada Canada Christian College LLD (hc) date unknown Canada Centennial College Honorary Fellow 2003–present [19] Canada University of Guelph-Humber Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) 2008 [19] Canada University of Windsor Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) 2008 [19] Canada University of Western Ontario Doctor of Laws (jure dignitatis) 2008 [19][21] Canada Nipissing University Doctor of Education (honoris causa) 2009 [22][23] Canada University of Toronto Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) 2009 [24][25] Canada York University Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) 2009 [26] Canada Carleton University Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) 2011 [27] Canada Law Society of Upper Canada Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) 2013 [28]

Midland has a David Onley Park, dedicated on his 63rd birthday, 12 June 2013.^[29]

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Order of St. John (K.stJ)	2007 Knight of Justice
	Order of Ontario (O.ont)	2007
	125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal	1992
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	2012 Canadian Version of this Medal

• He served as Colonel of the Regiment of The Queen's York Rangers in his capacity of Lieutenant Governor.
• He is the Honorary Colonel of 25 Field Ambulance in an individual capacity.

Bibliography

• Shuttle: A Shattering Novel of Disaster in Space (1981) ISBN 0-89083-951-4 (book), ISBN 0-88646-826-4 (audio edition)

See also

• Monarchy in Canada
• Monarchy in Ontario

References

External links

• David Onley's End of Mandate Report
• Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

Lieutenant Governors of Ontario Post-Confederation (1867–present) Stisted Howland Crawford D. A. Macdonald J. B. Robinson Campbell Kirkpatrick Gzowski Mowat Clark Gibson Hendrie Clarke Cockshutt Ross Mulock H. A. Bruce Matthews Lawson Breithaupt MacKay Rowe W. R. Macdonald McGibbon Aird Alexander Jackman Weston Bartleman Onley Dowdeswell Province of Canada (1841–66)* Clitherow Jackson Bagot Metcalfe Cathcart J. Bruce E. W. Head Monck Upper Canada (1791–1841) Simcoe Russell Hunter Grant Gore Brock Sheaffe de Rottenburg Drummond Murray F. P. Robinson Smith Maitland Colborne Bond Head Arthur Thomson British Province of Quebec (1759–91)* Amherst Murray Carleton Haldimand Carleton (2nd time) * The Crown's representative from 1759 to 1791, and from 1841 to 1866 held the office and rank of Governor-General.