Sir Sandford Fleming 1827-1915
Inventor of Standard Time and pioneer in world communications, Fleming was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, and trained in engineering and surveying before emigrating to Canada and settling in Peterborough in 1845. He soon moved to Toronto where in 1849 he assisted in the founding of the Canadian Institute and two years later designed the first Canadian postage stamp. He was the builder of the Intercolonial Railway and as chief engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1871-1887) conducted surveys of a transcontinental route. His proposal, presented to the Canadian Institute in 1879, outlining a world-wide uniform system for reckoning time and his advocacy of a cable route linking Canada and Australia earned Fleming universal recognition. He was knighted in 1897.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Ontario Plaques. Full page here.