DAVID C. ONLEY

Honorary Chair

David Onley was appointed Ontario’s 28th Lieutenant Governor in 2007, with his term ending in September, 2014. His seven years of service makes him the second longest-serving Lieutenant Governor of Ontario since the office was constituted in 1791.
Onley was a television journalist prior to his vice regal appointment for CityTV working as Education Specialist as well as covering science and technology stories. A published author of best-selling fiction and a high school science textbook, he was founding president of the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Canada.
Onley is an accessibility consultant for both the public and private sector, was inaugural chair of the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council of the Government of Ontario, and has worked as accessibility council member for the Rogers Centre and the Air Canada Centre. He was Ambassador to the 2017 Invictus Games for wounded veterans and Honorary Patron to various charitable causes.
He is the recipient of the Rick Hansen Award of Excellence, the Courage to Come Back Award, and holds 11 honorary degrees. He is a Member of the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, and a recipient of both the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He has also been inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame and the Scarborough Walk of Fame.
Mr. Onley is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Toronto Scarborough, where he teaches two courses in Political Science – The Politics of Disability and The Vice Regal Office in Canada. He is also the Special Advisor to the Vice President & Principal on Accessibility Issues