Remembering William Davis 1929-2021
Jeffrey L. Orridge, Chief Executive Officer of TVO, today issued the following statement on the death of the Honourable William G. Davis, former Premier of Ontario:
“It was with profound sadness that we, at TVO, learned yesterday of the passing of the Honourable William G. Davis. On behalf of everyone at TVO, I offer my deepest condolences to Mr. Davis’s family and friends at this difficult time.
Mr. Davis led a remarkable career in public office right from his early days in Premier John Robarts’s cabinet, where, in 1962, he took on what was considered to be a “hot potato” ministry: education.
As Ontario’s premier from 1971 to 1985, Davis came to be known as the “education premier”: he created the college system, established new public universities, and founded Canada’s oldest educational-television service, the Ontario Educational Communications Authority — today known as TVO.
Long after he left public life, Mr. Davis continued to devote his time and energy to supporting TVO, most recently by helping us celebrate our 50th anniversary.
I know how proud he was of TVO. We will continue to work every day to fulfil his vision.”