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He may be the most influential Ontarian you've never heard of. Born in Baden, Ontario, he became the Mayor of London and the first Chairman of The Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario. Sir Adam Beck believed passionately that electricity should be made available and affordable to everyone, not just the wealthy and powerful.
"The gifts of nature are for the public," he said, and the gift of nature he was most determined to harness was the hydroelectric potential of the Niagara River. He envisioned, and presided over, the building of Niagara's first generating station and a canal that diverted water to it from the River.
Sir Adam Beck lived to see the power begin to flow across Ontario. For his vision and his devotion to the public good, he was knighted by King George V. His statue still commands the intersection of University Avenue and Queen Street in Toronto.
"Nothing is too big for us," Beck once said. "Nothing is too visionary." Beck's words echo across the generations to all of us at Ontario Power Generation as we begin to build a modern wonder of the world in our ongoing quest for clean, renewable energy. We're sure Sir Adam would approve.
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