Jason Ono-O’Connor, who was killed in a car crash on the weekend along with five other young Barrie residents, was a student at Georgian College and a consistent member of the Dean’s List.
Ono-O’Connor, 22, died in a single-vehicle crash in a construction area on McKay Road in south-end Barrie along with friends Luke West, Jersey Mitchell, River Wells, Haley Marin and Curtis King.
In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, Georgian College president and CEO Kevin Weaver said Ono-O’Connor “was an exceptional student in our automotive business degree program with a very bright future ahead.”
“He was consistently on the Dean’s List and liked and respected by fellow students and faculty,” Weaver said. “Jason was recently chosen to be a director in the 2023 Georgian Auto Show — a highly sought role among our students and true recognition of his academic excellence and commitment to the industry.”
The statement also indicated Ono-O’Connor’s family shared with the college how much he loved his program and how excited he was about his upcoming career.
“To Jason’s family, friends, classmates, college faculty and staff, I offer my deepest condolences — as well as to the families and friends of all these promising young people who lost their lives. As a father, my heart is breaking,” Weaver said.
In memory of Ono-O’Connor, the Georgian flag has been lowered at the Barrie campus.
A community support fund has also been set up for those who wish to join collective efforts to support the families.
Ono-O’Connor’s LinkedIn profile says he was from the Greater Vancouver metropolitan area.
