Sir Sandford Fleming 1827-1915
Engineer and an ardent imperialist, Fleming was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. In 1845 he came to Canada, where he became survey and construction engineer for the Intercolonial Railway (1863-76) and the Canadian Pacific (1871-80). He foresaw the day when the technologies of steam and electricity would make Canada a great nation within the Empire, and to this end advocated the laying of the Pacific cable as a link in the globe-circling imperial network. A man of wide interests, Fleming designed the first Canadian postage stamp, in 1851, and was an early champion of the idea of standard time. He died in Halifax.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Ontario Plaques. Full page here.