CARP extends deep condolences to the family and friends of the late Honourable David C. Onley, the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, who died this past January.
David was a friend of many here at CARP and Zoomer, including our President, Moses Znaimer.
David was the first person with a visible disability to hold the post of Lieutenant Governor, and worked tirelessly to break down barriers for Ontarians with disabilities throughout his life.
Dean La Bute, a CARP volunteer, founding member of Accessibility Standards Advisory Council of Ontario and a friend to David writes, “When called upon, David was always up to a challenge. Kathleen Wynn of the Liberal Government asked him to conduct a legislative mandated, in-depth review of Ontario’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. True to form, he delivered a scathing indictment of nearly all aspects of the implementation of this law, in a report entitled “LISTENING TO ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES,” submitted in March of 2019, to the Ontario Legislative Assembly.”
This 2019 Report of the Third Review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, commonly known as the Onley Report, which provided practical recommendations toward creating a barrier-free Ontario remains one of his many gifts to the country.
Anyone who has engaged in advocacy knows that true change takes repeated efforts and engagement with diverse stakeholders and processes. It is truly a marathon, not a sprint. The commitment to a principle like a barrier-free province, or country, is one of David’s legacies. We must carry on the race in his honour.
ZNews story on Canadian Helen Keller Award presented to Lt. Gov. Onley: https://youtu.be/fmhtEpxc26w
