Someone Please Tell Steve Fonyo That It’s Not Going to Happen
After a whirlwind media tour, including a recent visit to ‘Vanilla’ Bill over at NW, former super-human Steve Fonyo wants his Order of Canada back.
I’ve been watching this travesty unfold for some time now and cannot believe the lack of respect for yet another tattered Canadian institution: The Order of Canada.
What will it take for Canadians, of all stripes, to recognize what Fonyo did wasn’t a few bounced cheques and some couple of nights in the drunk tank?
For over TWENTY YEARS, Fonyo caused inordinate grief to almost anyone around him. This wasn’t a guy who was addicted and did whatever he could to survive.
That would be significantly rewriting history. Fonyo went way beyond that. He made hell-raising an art form. He mercilessly beat up on people including using weapons; drove on several occasions while fall-down drunk; did several stints in jail; thumbed his nose at the prison system and leniency of judges and generally disgraced any of the magnificent things he did following up on the great Terry Fox’s dream.
This was no simple series of indiscretions due to drugs or alcohol.
At it’s zenith, Fonyo has been charged for drunk driving no less than SEVEN times and with assault no less than three times, twice with a weapon and at one time beating his landlord on the head with a wrench–REPEATEDLY–CAUSING THIRTY STITCHES.
And yet you had Philip Till and ‘Vanilla’ Bill, in back to back weeks, calling on the feds to reinstate Fonyo.
Notwithstanding the fact that, the Government of Canada does not decide who gets the Order of Canada or who is stripped of the Order…
Imagine if I were charged with drunk driving and/or beating on my wife…The Tyee would feature it on the front page and be calling for the return of the death penalty; Gregor Robertson’s whores at the Sun and Courier would ensure it was top news–Garr would advocate that I be circumsized a second time, in public, at a Vision picnic; Charlie Smith over at the Straight would be demanding to even interview the tires on my SUV and sponsor a study implicating the Iluminati and question my alleged membership; Bill Good would throw a party at Half Moon Bay and invite his friend and neighbor the worst Premier in B.C. history…
Steve Fonyo beats on a guy with a wrench, slaps a woman around, gets caught, SEVEN times, drinking and driving, and the chorus of cheers for the man is, well, sickening.
There are all sorts of people on the list of Officers and Companions of the Order that have acted unethically, this is true. But somehow in my book, taking SEVEN times to realize drinking and driving is a problem, pounding the stuffing out of women and dancing your toolbox contents off the forehead of your landlord is really the limit after any one of them..
Steve Fonyo deserved to be stripped of his honour regardless of the greatness that got him there. To argue otherwise is to mindlessly pander to the bleeding hearts in this country who are not looking at the bigger picture.
Forgiveness is granted where contrition is shown. How can you do that here, when Fonyo, who is clearly an addict, told Till in one interview that he had been sober for years and then a short time later admitted to ‘The Vanilla Man’ that he was still drinking but could “control it.”
How many times have you heard an addict say that?
I know several addicts and none of them acts like an insane asshole and expects to have it all go away because of a few crocodile tears.
Gimme a break.
Outside of Fonyo’s phenomenal run, below is a list of his life’s highlights since then. I could understand if it were a five year ripper, maybe ten and there was some rest in between of a few years–addiction is a tough slog–but not with this hit parade.
1987 impaired driving
1988 charged for driving while his licence was under suspension
1989 impaired driving
1992 four offences of drunk driving
1993 broke a window in a bar and trying to pick a fight while out on early
release from prison
1995 charged with driving while suspended
1995 charged with one count of aggravated assault and one count of assault
with a weapon in connection with a dispute
1996 Fonyo pleaded guilty to 16 offences in Edmonton, including striking
his landlord repeatedly on the head with a wrench causing 30 stitches
1997 5th drunk driving conviction, 6 months in jail
2001 two counts of possessing stolen property
2008 7th prohibited driving charge, guilty of 2 counts of driving without a license, 30 days in jail
2009 one count of assault
Finally someone is writing the truth about Steve Fonyo. I have read many articles during the past month and have kept quiet until today. I was hired to follow Steve when he arrived in BC to provide radio reports for a number of stations across BC. I took a leave of absence from my job to basically do a favour ( although paid ) for the owner of a Vernon radio station. They provided everything including a nice motorhome to follow Steve from the BC/Alberta border to Victoria. The first night they had an event planned in Field, BC. I remember showing up early and made the rounds introducing myself to the event organizers. It was a pot luck dinner at the community hall and you could feel the warmth and love of a small town gathering. The event was just about to get underway, but where was Steve. I stood outside near a police car and could hear the police radio calling and advising the officer that Steve was sick & couldn’t make it. When I returned to the Chateau where Steve was staying and went inside I was shocked to find Steve drunk & chasing young teen girls up & down the elevator. From that moment on, I lost total respect for Steve Fonyo. The horror stories didn’t end there. In Vernon, the Pontiac dealer gave Steve a new white Trans Am for the weekend. He & a friend got drunk and ended up rolling the car in a ditch. He of course said his friend was driving. In Penticton we were asked to leave a restaurant when Steve started taking the owner’s collection of hats off the wall and throwing them around. In Manning Park, Steve treated the media crew to a shooter night with a tab of over $300.00. When we arrived near Langley, my contract was running out and the station offered to pay me double to stay on. I refused and went back home. There is so much more I could say, but I’m sure you get the story. It saddens me to read about people in Victoria who want to build a statue for this guy. I believe it would be best to let his story die and let’s go on supporting the true heroes of our society like Rick Hansen and Terry Fox. And for those who have written that Steve finished Terry’s run, that is absolutely false.
Guy in Victoria
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This very well could be one of the best comments this blog will ever see. You are a brave, decent, caring and forgiving man. Bless you. And I’ll be in Victoria in a few days…
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I remember being let out of school in Victoria the afternoon he finished his run. Classmates and I ran along side him down Douglas street. He was a hero. But then something happened. I grew up, alas Mr. Fonyo did not. I well remember the news stories of the petulance and entitlement he exhibited. He accomplished something magical, but then behaved as if we all owed him something. Many have surmised that it is the result of jealousy at not eclipsing the aura of Terry Fox. Whatever the cause, Fonyo, in the years since his tremendous feat has never even come close to living up to that ideal. The Governor General’s website on the Order of Canada says, “The Order… recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.” By this simple measure alone, Mr. Fonyo fails to pass the test.
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Very well put.
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This whole, sorry story is very depressing.
Who is the real Steve Fonyo, anyway? Is he a flawed anti-hero, or a self-absorbed jerk trying to hustle the public for his own gain?
Why did he take on the run? What was his real motivation?
Why was he so self-destructive, both , apparently during the run, and then after?
Does his personal behaviour distort the positive meaning of his accomplishment? Did he finish the run—or, is he, as Guy in Victoria seems to imply, our own Rosie Ruiz?
I hope someone is writng an indepth aticle. It is fascinating.
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Why bother. The man’s life is a train-wreck. But to be slapping the snot out of women and beating on someone’s head and claim this is all just part of the addiction cycle is INSANITY. I know many addicts and not one of them would ever do this. Fonyo is a disgrace. He still feels he’s entitled to something. And you see the stories here of those who have interacted with him and the evidence is clear.
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My first experience with this fellow was in a pub in White Rock; I had a beer with him. I bought of course, Steve seems to expect this a lot. He told me then that he felt he should have been paid one million $’s for what he had done, considering the money he raised for cancer research.
I disagreed with him, saying I thought he had done it out of charity and in memory of Terry Fox, though I thought it was nice that he got a new truck and helicopter lessons and God knows what else. The next time I saw him was in a friends coffee shop at Surrey Centre when Steve came in and asked if he could use the phone? My buddy who didn’t know him said that he needed 25 cents (otherwise the druggies would be on the line constantly). Steve said he didn’t have the money and that his vehicle had broken down. My friend let him use the phone but said he can’t believe a guy would drive downtown without any money! I saw him also at Westminster station trying to follow the movements of a crowd of junkies that hung out in the area.
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I will say that he deserves it before Henry Morgentaler, and that Sue Johansen would be tied with him on this lackluster medal.
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Chilling…
You know, I thought about Morgentaler when I was writing this, not for any other reason but because I’ve written about his lack of fitness for the snowflake, too.
Here’s your link, Sir Lawrence. With my compliments.
http://alexgtsakumis.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Jul112008.pdf
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Takes guts Alex, to go against the flow of the msm. Excellent piece of journalism and just plain old good, gutsy writing. Thanks for that, had meant to get around to reading it, but I like being spoon fed. I am not particularly saddened that Winston Spencer Churchill (Knight of the Realm, soldier, painter, bricklayer, and war-time P.M.) is dead, so much as that he as been thus – for 45 years! I recall being called to assembly in my high school year, to be told in funereal tones, that the great man had passed.
Where are the years that the locust have eaten? Where have they gone?
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“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you” (Joel 2:25)
We’ll have to wait for Him, Larry.
Deepest thanks.
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It’s very sad to read Guy in Victoria’s horror stories about Fonyo’s behaviour, while the run was still going on! I was at the finish back then and was shocked by the immaturity of the guy, as he was completely unable to make any suitable, intelligent comments to the reporters and the crowd. He just whooped and yelled, then chucked a glass bottle in the water! We just cringed as we watched. I sincerely hope he is (finally) getting his act together, but he shouldn’t get the Order of Canada back…
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Absolutely my sentiments. Good to hear from you, Alan.
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I heard “Vanilla” lobbing softballs at the illustrious Mr.Fonyo. The entire interview was repulsive.
The Quote of the day was Mr. Fonyo stating: “I have never hurt anyone”. Just in case you missed that, he stated “I have never hurt anyone”.
Let’s drop the facade folks, he is a Career Shitrat.
Nothing more, and certainly nothing less………………..
Cheers, Gary L.
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I’ve spent so much time in the CKNW archives in the last few days, I’m going to submit a bill! LOL!
I usually get alerted by a friend either during a show or afterwards, but I just can’t stand to listen to Bill since he’s entirely pathetic. The boring drivel is just too much to take. As I’ve said many times in the past, ANY competition and NW would get gutted at the top. Trust me. You’d be surprised at the kind of highly-supportive notes I’ve recd from some VERY interesting places in Alberta…
As for the soft balls, are you surprised? He has no other throw in his bag…as they say in the dugout.
Yeah, and I loved that. Fonyo saying he hurt no one. Uh huh, sure. Wish I’d bumped into him at a bar and he’d started that…
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Garr would advocate that I be circumsized a second time.
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Now thats funny.
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But true!
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Perhaps more than we needed to know, however!
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Someone has to be a contrarian on this issue, and I guess it’s up to me. The fact is that Steve Fonyo succeeded in doing something that you, the commenters nor I would even attempt. And as far as I know we all have two fully functioning legs to work with, never mind the trauma that Fonyo dealt with regarding his cancer.
The Order Of Canada was bestowed upon him based on his accomplishment, nothing more. The fact that his life went down the crapper afterwards is irrelevant. Where is it written that this award comes with conditions and can be rescinded? As far as I know, nowhere.
Maybe the real story here is why and to whom the Order Of Canada is awarded to in the first place.
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Your argument would be perfect if the award were not a living honour. Do you mean to tell me that then that if one of Mr. Fonyo’s attitude adjustment sessions with a young woman resulted in death, he should still be able to keep his snowflake? Sorry, Crankypants, I’m not seeing it here…. His accomplishment was mammoth and significant, but each case of misconduct relative to the award as being a living one, should be reviewed on its merits. In this case, the committee did the right thing.
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Someone should do a time line on how often this cankerous, self aggrandizing, sore appears in the media for another round. I for one am sick of the media pandering to this genetically deficient miscreant. Your delineation of his criminal past is both eye opening and timely. Put this inanity to bed, please people.
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Fonyo is a jerk, He never did the run for charity he did it for his own, to benefit himself , I remember his asshole attitude going through the okanagan valley, and being a ass, and his partying BS, the guy is a F@#$%@&^ jerk!!
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You won’t get any argument from me on that.
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Hi again Alex
Yes its Lisa again and yes its super early in the morning but like usual I’ve been up late working on all the wrong or maybe I should say not complete information that people have been reading that is written by people like you.
I know I have written to you before but each time I happen to run across this page in particular it really pisses me off. Why ??? Because like a lot of the crap out there you only have not even a third of the facts of what your printing. Why don’t you and. Everyone. Else try to get the rest of the story before you say anything.
For example the landlord that required the stitches in his head. Steve was only defending himself after this man twice his size had hit him. Now if anyone had bothered to look at this man you would have thought Steve would be nuts for going after him which he never did he only tried to protect himself againist this bully that went after him. There is so much that hasn’t been told about Steve that people will probably never hear about while people like you just keep printing only what you think people want to hear that its really sad that only the crap is out there for everyone to read not the rest of the facts.
Oh another example. You yourself said Steve wanted his order of Canada back well wrong again Alex he never thought they should have taken it away. But he didn’t ever say he wanted it back. See my point excately. People don’t believe everything you read.
Sincerely
Lisa Fonyo
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Dear Readers:
Mrs. Fonyo is back. She would like you to know the following.
1) Mr. Fonyo “defended himself” against an angry landlord, even though,a ccroding to courts documents, the landlord wasn’t charged with assault, but Mr. Fonyo was.
2) According to Mrs. Fonyo, Mr. Fonyo never stated that he wanted his ‘Order of Canada’ back after it was appropriately stripped of him, when that’s precisely what he told Bill Good and repeated to the Victoria Times-Colonist–twice.
Finally, since so many of you have written in and asked: NO(!!!) I am not paying Mrs. Fonyo to entertain you. She’s doing this for free, and I can;t thank her enough for the comic relief.
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