David Onley, the former Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, has passed away at age 72.

Mr. Onley was the 28th Lieutenant-Governor and served from 2007 to 2014. Prior to that he had a long career in journalism.

Mr Onley was the first Lieutenant-Governor with physical disabilities to serve in the position, an issue that he championed while in the position.

He was born June 12th, 1950 in Midland, Ontario but was raised in Scarborough. He would suffer from with polio at a young age resulting in mobility issues the rest of his life, normally using a scooter to get around, although he could walk with assistance.

Mr. Onley started out in radio in the early 1980s before moving to television in 1984. He would work for CityTV and CityPulse24 (CP24) until his appointment as Lieutenant-Governor.

Mr. Onley was appointed Lieutenant-Governor on July 10th, 2007, and was sworn in on September 5. He would serve as Lieutenant-Governor until September 22nd, 2014. he would hold 3,550 engagements during that time.

Following his departure as Lieutenant-Governor, he would serve as a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Political Sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough.

Mr. Onley was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada (2016) and the Order of Ontario (2014), as well as a Knight of Justice of the Order of St John. While Lieutenant-Governor, he was the Chancellor of the Order of Ontario and the Vice-Prior of the Order of St. John in Ontario.

Mr. Onley passed away on January 14th, 2023 at the age of 72. He leaves behind his wife and three children.

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