David Onley : David Onley, 72, the 28th lieutenant governor of Ontario, passed away recently.
On Saturday night, Lt. Governor Elizabeth Dodeswell released a statement in which she expressed her “great sadness” at hearing of David C. Onley’s loss. Mr. Onley’s tenure as Lieutenant Governor of Ontario as its 28th has been marked by exemplary service to the province. Since I was appointed Lieutenant Governor in the summer of 2014, he has remained a trusted friend and advisor.
After joining Citytv in 1984 as a weather specialist, Onley became the network’s first morning host in 1989, a career that spanned over 20 years. He eventually joined Citytv as an education and science and technology analyst.
He was the first openly crippled Canadian news anchor and a polio survivor. In 2017, he was awarded the prestigious Order of Canada. Ruth Ann and their three children, Jonathan, Robert, and Michael, are the only ones who will remember Onlyy.
He pioneered the role of morning news anchor on Citytv’s Breakfast TV from 1989 to 1995. Education Specialist for Citytv and CablePulse 24 from 1994 to 1999. Onlyy took over as the face of CP24, a news network that debuted in 1999, and also hosted and produced the network’s website.
David Onley dead at 72, News and obituary
Being paralysed has made him one of the first Canadian TV celebrities to require a mobility aid. To begin with, the camera simply captures Onley’s upper torso; nevertheless, he requests that the film lock him into his mobile device. In 1997, he was honoured with both the Clark Institute Courage of Return Award and the Terry Fox Hall of Fame Award for his dedication to improving disability rights in Canada. He has held the position of chair of the Accessibility Standards Advisory Committee to the Minister of Local and Social Services since 2005. In 2006, he was honoured with a star on the Scarborough Walk of Fame.
Onlyy penned the best-selling space fiction The Space Shuttle: A Shocking Novel of Space Disaster in 1981. Canadian Journal Publishers considered it for Book of the Year. The Canadian Aerospace Heritage Foundation was established under his leadership.
Onley had a cameo in the sixth season of the Canadian crime drama Murdoch Mysteries, marking his return to acting. “The Spirit of Queens Park” first aired in Canada on February 25, 2013. He portrayed Ontario’s ninth Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Oliver Mowat, in this film.
