TORONTO — Former Ontario Lt.-Gov. David Onley is set to be remembered at a state funeral on Jan. 30.
Morley Bedford Funeral Services says Onley will lie in state at the legislature on Jan. 28 and Jan. 29, then a state funeral will be held at a church in Toronto on the following Monday.
The current lieutenant-governor announced Onley’s death Saturday, saying he used his status as the province’s first lieutenant-governor with a physical disability to raise awareness of and help break down barriers facing other disabled residents.
Onley used a motorized scooter throughout his life after contracting polio as a child and frequently drew on his lived experience when highlighting existing accessibility barriers in all facets of society.
Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell says his efforts to draw attention to such issues predated his time in government and could be traced back to his years as a television reporter.
Onley, who was 72 when he died, was appointed lieutenant-governor in 2007 and remained in the position for seven years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2023.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. Previous version had wrong dates for funeral and when he will lie in state.
