Farewell to Ford: Torontonians pay respects at City Hall

Supporters of former Toronto mayor Rob Ford turned out in the hundreds at City Hall to file past his casket and pay their respects for a second day on Tuesday.

At midday, a diverse crowd of more than 180 people stood in a line that wound across the front and spilled around one side of city hall. A backlog of people stood in line again, after filing past the casket, to be greeted warmly by Rob Ford's brother Doug – who took over Rob's 2014 mayoral campaign when Rob was diagnosed with cancer – or other members of the extended Ford family.

Earlier in the day, after a rush of people before work hours, lineups had dwindled to just half-a-dozen people waiting at a time.

City Hall's doors opened at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday to allow people to pay their respects, and the main floor rotunda where Mr. Ford is lying in repose is scheduled to stay open to mourners until 9 p.m. His funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at noon at St. James Cathedral, following a procession from City Hall.

On Monday, when Mr. Ford's body was brought to City Hall, the public was separated from the closed casket – which was draped in the city's blue-and-white official flag – by a blue velvet rope, with a white-gloved police honour guard standing nearby, their heads bowed.

The mourners included both campaign volunteers and more casual admirers, a mix of young and old, male and female, from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Most spent just a few quiet seconds in front of the casket. Some defied the crowd barrier and touched it, and at least one woman kissed it. Some appeared to be speaking to the former mayor. One elderly woman, campaign volunteer Lola May Mac Isaac, hopped out of her electric scooter on Monday and laid her arm across the casket.

"The best man in the whole wide world," she told a reporter after paying her respects. "He's the best thing to come along since Jesus."

Asked about Mr. Ford's erratic behaviour, controversial remarks and the revelations that forced him to admit he had used crack, she said: "That scandal was disgusting because [the media] drove him to do stupid things. … He is still with me all the time. And he will always be watching over us."

The first member of the public in line on Monday morning was Louis Hardiman, 58, who said he came in from Bowmanville at 6:45 a.m. The former city transfer station worker grew up in Etobicoke, which is the Fords' political base, and said he had known the family for years.

Mr. Hardiman argued that Mr. Ford's problems should not overshadow his time as mayor. "Everyone has their problems. Everyone does. You don't blame them for their problems. Look at the positive. He was entertaining. He was kind of like a class clown at times."

Behind him was Marta Galdamez, 60, who said she worked on Mr. Ford's ill-fated 2014 campaign. "He was a man of compassion. He cared for everybody," she said, brandishing a selfie stick.

Also near the front were several former members of the Don Bosco high school football team, which Mr. Ford coached and supported with his own money until he was fired in 2013 after making controversial comments that many of the players "came from gangs."

The former teammates, who approached the casket together wearing their green and gold football jackets, said Mr. Ford was a good role model.

"He was hard on us, but it was all for our own good," said former offensive lineman Christian Gallipoli, 19.

Monday began with a huddle of media and fewer than 20 Ford supporters standing in the rain outside City Hall as the hearse containing the former mayor's casket pulled up just after 8 a.m. His family – led by his wife, Renata, and their two young children – emerged from stretch limos that pulled up behind the hearse. A police honour guard carried the casket inside.

Shortly after 9 a.m., Mayor John Tory and a number of councillors and other politicians filed past the casket, some reaching out to touch it. Councillor Frances Nunziata, the Speaker of Toronto City Council who was a natural ally of Mr. Ford but clashed with him over council rules, crossed herself and kissed the casket. They then greeted the Ford family afterward.

Among the dignitaries was former Ontario health minister George Smitherman, who ran for mayor and lost to Mr. Ford in the 2010 election. He declined to discuss Mr. Ford's political legacy, or the deep divisions his term uncovered in the city.

"I ran against the man. I had 100 all-candidates meetings against the man. I could talk about his policies that worked and those that didn't," Mr. Smitherman told reporters. "But I have no interest in that. Today, I come to pay respects to an adversary, but nevertheless a man whom I respect as a great Torontonian."

Renata Ford and her children greeted Mr. Tory and other dignitaries who filed past the coffin on Monday, but did not stay for much of the gruelling daylong affair.

At one point, Doug Ford left the receiving area and greeted members of the public still waiting in line, embracing them and posing for photos. With him was Mr. Ford's nephew, Michael Ford, who dropped his bid for the Ward 2 Etobicoke seat to allow Rob Ford to win it after he was forced to abandon his mayoral campaign.

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