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David Onley
David Charles Onley (June 12, 1950 – January 14, 2023) was a Canadian broadcaster and writer who served as the 28th lieutenant governor of Ontario from 2007 until 2014.
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 the founding president of the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Canada.
His seven-year term as Lieutenant Governor of Ontario makes him the province's third longest-serving viceroy since Confederation, behind Albert Edward Matthews (1937–1946) and his successor Elizabeth Dowdeswell (2014–2023).
David Charles Onley was born in Midland, Ontario, on June 12, 1950. Beginning at the age of three, he battled with polio, resulting in partial paralysis. In order to facilitate medical treatment, the family moved to Scarborough (now part of Toronto), settling on Orchard Park Drive in the neighbourhood of West Hill. As a result of extensive physical therapy, he regained the use of his hands and arms, and partial use of his legs. Onley was able to get around using leg braces, canes, crutches, and his electric scooter. He was able to drive a car using hand controls.
He was educated at the University of Toronto Scarborough, served as student council president, and graduated in 1975 with an honours Bachelor of Arts degree and specialist certificate in political science. He then attended the University of Windsor Law School from 1976 to 1977, but did not complete the degree.
Unable to find full-time employment after his graduation, Onley turned to writing, publishing Shuttle: A Shattering Novel of Disaster in Space, a bestselling novel about space travel, in 1981. It was nominated by the Periodical Distributors of Canada as book of the year in 1982.
While promoting the book, Onley positioned himself as a space program expert, leading to a career in radio. He began 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
At the time I remember saying to my mother, "I don't know if I should take this job (at Citytv). I don't know if they're hiring me because I'm disabled." My mother said, "You've been turned down enough times because of your disability, so take it!" I thought to myself, "Damn it, she's right" and that's how my career at Citytv began.
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David Onley
David Charles Onley (June 12, 1950 – January 14, 2023) was a Canadian broadcaster and writer who served as the 28th lieutenant governor of Ontario from 2007 until 2014.
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 the founding president of the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Canada.
His seven-year term as Lieutenant Governor of Ontario makes him the province's third longest-serving viceroy since Confederation, behind Albert Edward Matthews (1937–1946) and his successor Elizabeth Dowdeswell (2014–2023).
David Charles Onley was born in Midland, Ontario, on June 12, 1950. Beginning at the age of three, he battled with polio, resulting in partial paralysis. In order to facilitate medical treatment, the family moved to Scarborough (now part of Toronto), settling on Orchard Park Drive in the neighbourhood of West Hill. As a result of extensive physical therapy, he regained the use of his hands and arms, and partial use of his legs. Onley was able to get around using leg braces, canes, crutches, and his electric scooter. He was able to drive a car using hand controls.
He was educated at the University of Toronto Scarborough, served as student council president, and graduated in 1975 with an honours Bachelor of Arts degree and specialist certificate in political science. He then attended the University of Windsor Law School from 1976 to 1977, but did not complete the degree.
Unable to find full-time employment after his graduation, Onley turned to writing, publishing Shuttle: A Shattering Novel of Disaster in Space, a bestselling novel about space travel, in 1981. It was nominated by the Periodical Distributors of Canada as book of the year in 1982.
While promoting the book, Onley positioned himself as a space program expert, leading to a career in radio. He began 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
At the time I remember saying to my mother, "I don't know if I should take this job (at Citytv). I don't know if they're hiring me because I'm disabled." My mother said, "You've been turned down enough times because of your disability, so take it!" I thought to myself, "Damn it, she's right" and that's how my career at Citytv began.