'Not a hero or a villain' Rob Ford, former mayor of Toronto dies at 46
His supporters remember a man who 'cared genuinely about this city and all the people in it,' while others describe a far more complicated legacy.
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Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is hoisted into the air by his Don Bosco Eagles team after winning the Metro Bowl quarter-final at Birchmount Park in Toronto, Thursday Nov. 15, 2012. A civil trial hearing in which the mayor is accused of libel against a restaurant owner went on without him. (Christopher Drost/Canadian Press)
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As It Happens6:37'Not a hero or a villain' Rob Ford, former mayor of Toronto dies at 46
Rob Ford, the polarizing former mayor of Toronto, has died at the age of 46. He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, pleomorphic liposarcoma, during his 2014 reelection campaign. He dropped out of the mayoral race to deal with his health issues, but was reelected by a landslide to his council seat in Etobicoke.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford poses with a supporter while signing hundreds bobble head dolls in his likeness for charity at City Hall in Toronto. (The Canadian Press)
He was not just a cartoon character. He was not a hero, or a villain. He was a complex human being.- Toronto City Councillor, John Filion
Ford's tenure as mayor was rife with scandal, most famously, the scandal surrounding the "crack video." Ford initially denied he had been filmed smoking crack cocaine, but later admitted he struggled with both drug and alcohol abuse. He was admitted to rehab shortly before his cancer diagnosis.
Rob Ford appears smoking from a pipe in a still image given to the Globe and Mail and Gawker.com. (Gawker.com)
Numerous controversies have followed Ford, from drug and alcohol abuse, to his use of offensive racial and homophobic slurs. His ex-chief of staff claims Ford drove under the influence a number of times. In 2013, Ford also hinted that a Toronto reporter was a pedophile, then later apologized.
Still, Ford maintained a populist appeal, particularly amongst those in Toronto's suburbs. As Ford supporter Joy Green tells As It Happens host, Carol Off, "We lost someone who cares genuinely about this city and all the people in it."
As It Happens6:09Rob Ford supporter, Joy Green
Rob Ford supporter, Joy Green
Ford gained loyal supporters, nicknamed 'Ford Nation,' through his particular brand of retail politics. Green describes a time when Ford was her city councillor. The wheelchair ramps on the sidewalks near her home were damaged by construction, making it impossible for her to get to her pharmacy.
He would take time. And he remembered you.- Joy Green, Rob Ford supporter
She called Ford and "He spoke to me personally. Not some secretary or assistant. Rob Ford got on the phone and listened to what I had to say." She says he called her back shortly after their first call, and told her the problem would be fixed in half an hour. It was: "That earns my loyalty, and my respect," says Green.
As It Happens3:26Rob Ford on As It Happens, Oct. 26, 2010
Rob Ford on As It Happens, Oct. 26, 2010
Mayor John Tory, right, presents a declaration of office to councillor and outgoing mayor Rob Ford during an inauguration ceremony in December. (The Canadian Press)
Ford had few friends at City Hall, but Councillor John Filion was one of them. The two rarely aligned politically, but they bonded over a football pool. Filion says he doesn't think Ford liked being mayor: "I don't think he liked pretty much anything about the job other than the attention."
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford laughs during council beside councillor Giorgio Mammoliti at City Hall in Toronto, November 14, 2013. Embattled mayor Ford, under huge pressure to quit after he admitted smoking crack cocaine, said on Thursday he was getting help for a drinking problem, but offered no indication that he might step down. Ford also expressed remorse for an obscene outburst he made earlier in the day when denying an allegation he had made sexual overtures to a female member of his staff. (REUTERS/Mark Blinch )
Filion sponsored the motion to strip Ford of his mayoral powers. "I thought it up and executed it. He was angry at first. But, he wanted to be friends again...He didn't really hold it against me. Although, I know it caused him a lot of pain and embarassment."
Filion last spoke to Ford just two days before he found out his cancer had come back. Filion says that he seemed well, sober, and wanted to talk about being a good father to his kids. "The saddest thing for me today is he didn't get that second chance that everyone deserves."
