End of mandate report The Honourable David C. Onley 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (2007–2014) His Honour the Honourable David C. Onley, OOnt 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Shown in the uniform of Colonel of the Regiment of The Queen’s York Rangers (1st American Regiment) Painted by Juan Martínez ii End of mandate report: The Hon. David C. Onley (2007–2014) Table of contents At a glance 2 Community role 14–17 The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee 24–25 14 Youth and education Introductory messages 3 Science 24 Medal presentations 3 Lieutenant Governor 15 Arts and culture 60 in 60 Chief of Staff 16 Sports and recreation Royal visit 17 Volunteer service organizations Diamond Jubilee Galas Biographies 4–5 Faith communities Honours and awards 26–27 4 His Honour Northern Ontario tour 26 Order of Ontario 5 Her Honour His Honour honoured Ontario honours Constitutional Representational and Ontario awards responsibilities 6 celebratory role 18–23 Lieutenant Governor’s Awards 6 Representing the head of state 18 Welcoming visitors 27 Awards programs supported Powers and responsibilities 19 Representing Ontarians abroad by the Lieutenant Governor 20 Celebrating milestones Core initiatives 7–11 Office operations 28 21 Leading commemorations 7 Accessibility 28 Federal funding Celebrating citizenship 10 Aboriginal peoples in Ontario Provincial funding 22 Uniformed services Connecting with Appendix 29 Ontarians 12–13 29 Groups holding viceregal 12 Engaging Ontarians online patronage Traditional communications 13 Spending time with Ontarians Since 1937, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario operates out of a suite of offices located in the northwest corner of the Legislative Building at Queen’s Park 1 At a glance Highlights of Mr. Onley’s mandate September 5, 2007 Accessibility Date of installation Aboriginal Literacy PrinciPal manDate themes September 23, 2014 last Day in office “ That which enables 7 years, 18 days people to achieve length of manDate their full potential” What accessibility means 6328 letters receiveD First lieutenant governor on Twitter 4750 invitations receiveD Second longest serving 2550 lieutenant governor number of engagements Over 1 million auDience at events attenDeD 61,000 visitors to the suite at Queen’s Park 14 first nations visiteD* 12 royal visits *Her Honour paid 23 visits on Mr. Onley’s behalf to 13 First Nations 9 communities in Northern Ontario. These “fly-in” communities international triPs were simply inaccessible to Mr. Onley because of his reliance on a power scooter. 2 End of mandate report: The Hon. David C. Onley (2007–2014) A message from His Honour The Honourable David C. Onley To mark the end of my tenure as Ontario’s Throughout the past seven years, I have been 28th Lieutenant Governor, I present this report welcomed by Ontarians of all ages. I have joined on the major initiatives I have undertaken since with them in commemorating anniversaries, hon- my installation on September 5, 2007. ouring local heroes, while on other occasions we As the first Lieutenant Governor of Ontario with a have mourned the loss of soldiers, police officers, physical disability, I adopted accessibility as the theme and firefighters. But I have always been inspired by for my term in office. In order to make the point that Ontarians’ sense of decency and volunteerism. accessibility is not restricted to physical accommoda- My wife Ruth Ann has visited, on my behalf, tions, like ramps and automatic doors, I defined acces- many of the Lieutenant Governor’s Aboriginal sibility as “that which enables people to achieve their Summer Reading Camps in Northern Ontario, where full potential”. Accessibility is also an attitude, wel- she was honoured to represent the Crown’s connec- coming and supporting people at all levels of ability, tions with Canada’s First Nations and to bear wit- because every human being is unique and of value. ness to the people, their history, and their cultures. While I have promoted accessibility in all its forms I am honoured to have had the privilege of serv- throughout my term, I have been especially concerned by ing the people of Ontario as Her Majesty The Queen’s the high levels of unemployment in the disability commu- representative. For me and for Ruth Ann, it has been nity. To that end, I have met with and spoken to employer a transformative experience, one that we will look groups in the public and private sectors, and to service back on with gratitude for the many fond memories. clubs and community organizations around the province, God bless Ontario. God save The Queen! promoting the business case for employing people with disabilities. I’m pleased to say that I’ve witnessed con- siderable progress; there is still work to be done, but I have faith that it will continue long after I leave office. David C. Onley A message from the Chief of Staff Mr. Anthony Hylton Since Mr. Onley’s installation as Lieutenant Governor traditional communications, we now keep peo- in September 2007, the institution of the Crown in ple informed of the Lieutenant Governor’s activities Ontario has seen remarkable change. Whether through through social media platforms including Facebook, constitutional and ceremonial duties, or by partici- Twitter, and YouTube. This has been a large under- pating in community and volunteer events, Ontario’s taking and one that will continue to evolve. Lieutenant Governor continues to represent Her Majesty I would like to take this opportunity to thank in our province with energy and enthusiasm. the many partners, organizations, families, and indi- In line with the spirit of his theme of accessibility, viduals that have helped us serve the Lieutenant under Mr. Onley’s leadership, the Lieutenant Governor’s Governor. In particular, I would like to thank our small Suite is now more accessible and open to the public but devoted staff, and the dedicated corps of aides- than ever before, and our office has made a concerted de-camp and other volunteers who welcome the effort to connect with Ontarians in all areas of society. many thousands of annual visitors to the suite. During Mr. Onley’s mandate, the office has focussed on public outreach, aiming to enhance visibil- ity in the community, with events linked to high-pro- file activities such as the Toronto International Film Festival, the Luminato Festival, the WorldPride Human Rights Conference 2014, as well as the Anthony Hylton annual New Year’s Levee, salons, round-table dis- cussions, art exhibitions, and regional visits. Our office has also revolutionized the way in which we connect with Ontarians. In addition to End of mandate report: The Hon. David C. Onley (2007–2014) 3 His Honour The Honourable David C. Onley, OOnt Reproduced with the kind permission of Maayan Ziv The Honourable David C. Onley was appointed expanded the Aboriginal Youth Literacy Initiative Ontario’s 28th Lieutenant Governor follow- to include computer literacy programs. ing a distinguished career as a broadcaster. Mr. Onley was born in Midland, Ontario, grew up in Having championed disability issues for many years, Scarborough, and has been inducted into the Canadian Mr. Onley served as chair of the Accessibility Disability Hall of Fame and the Scarborough Walk Standards Advisory Council of the Government of Fame. He served as Colonel of the Regiment of Ontario and as an accessibility coun- of The Queen’s York Rangers (1st American cil member for the Rogers Centre Regiment) in his capacity of and the Air Canada Centre. Lieutenant Governor, and person- As Ontario’s first Lieutenant Governor ally as Honorary Colonel of 25 Field with a physical disability, Mr. Onley Ambulance. He is the recipient of the adopted accessibility as the over- Rick Hansen Award of Excellence, arching theme of his mandate. He the Courage to Come Back Award, defines accessibility as “that which and holds 12 honorary degrees. enables people to achieve their full potential”, and believes that true acces- Coat of arms symbolism sibility occurs when disabled people can fully participate in the social, cul- Among the symbolism in Mr. Onley’s tural, and economic life of Ontario. arms are allusions to aerospace, his faith, and accessibility. The Latin motto Because accessibility includes PER ARDUA AD ALTA, meaning “Through equal access to opportuni- adversity to the heights”, alludes ties such as education, Mr. Onley Mr. Onley received a grant of arms in 2007 Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada, to the spirit of overcoming chal- Volume V, page 448 lenges to fulfil one’s potential. 4 End of mandate report: The Hon. David C. Onley (2007–2014) Her Honour Mrs. Ruth Ann Onley Reproduced with the kind permission of Maayan Ziv As Ontario’s viceregal consort, Mrs. Onley took “We Are the People of the Maple Leaf”, a new patri- part in many of the Lieutenant Governor’s activi- otic song for Canada with lyrics, written by His Honour, ties, embracing her public role with enthusiasm. set to the popular tune of “Highland Cathedral”. Raised on a farm near Simcoe, she studied psychol- Throughout her husband’s time in office, Mrs. Onley ogy and French at university before becoming a pro- often attended functions and participated in initiatives fessional singer and touring across North America. in place of His Honour when accessibility infrastructure Her career has included per- precluded his attendance. formances on television, Her Honour made 23 vis- and with orchestras, stage its to Aboriginal commu- shows, conventions, and at nities in Northern Ontario major sporting events. In as part of the Lieutenant 1982, she won the Canadian Governor’s Aboriginal Country Music Association Youth Literacy program. Vista Rising Star award. Her Honour’s vibrant and With marriage, Mrs. Onley caring involvement has turned her attention to fam- strengthened the viceregal ily life and to raising the relationship with Aboriginal Onley’s three sons, Jonathan, communities in Ontario.