FORD’S FAREWELL
Former mayor’s casket will lead a procession to St. James Cathedral for a noon funeral, where his friends, family and faithful will say goodbye,
Councillor Rob Ford’s young children and former Ontario premier Mike Harris will be among those speaking at Ford’s funeral this afternoon.
Ford’s office released details Tuesday night of the procession from city hall — where it was estimated that more than 5,000 people had passed the former mayor’s casket during a two-day visitation — to St. James Cathedral for the noon Wednesday service.
The roughly 90-minute service will be led by Toronto Anglican Archbishop Colin Robert Johnson with assistance from six other clergy.
Tributes will be read by Ford’s children Dougie and Stephanie, along with Ford’s brother Doug Ford; Harris, the former Conservative premier and Ford family friend; and Clinton Leonard, a former member of the Don Bosco Eagles high school football team that Ford coached.
Family members reading Bible pas- sages are to include Ford’s nephew — Toronto District School Board trustee Michael Ford — and his niece Krista Ford. Hymns will include “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”
Ford’s office said they expect that, after invited guests, there will be room for 50 to 100 members of the public in the cathedral. However, those who don’t make it inside will be welcome to watch a video feed in two tents set up on the King St. W. cathedral’s lawn. (There will also be a video feed at city hall.)
The Ford family is also inviting the public to walk with them on the funeral procession leaving city hall, with a police honour guard and ceremonial bagpipers, at around 11 a.m.
They will walk from city hall east on Queen St. W. to Yonge St., then south to King St., and then east again to the cathedral near Church St.
Ford died March 22 at age 46, leaving his wife Renata and two young children. Eighteen months of treatment, including the removal of two tumours, failed to halt spread of the rare and aggressive cancer pleomorphic liposarcoma.
On Tuesday afternoon at city hall, for a second day, the queue to file past Ford’s casket and sign a book of condolences snaked out city hall’s front door and around the corner.
David Mark, who lives in the Annex, said when he voted for Ford to become mayor in 2010 he wanted to see “change in this city.” However, after scandals including substance abuse, Mark said he “lost faith” in Ford.
“I feel guilty that I wanted to see him out (of office),” Mark said, adding he felt that way after Ford was diagnosed with cancer in September 2014 and halted a post-rehab mayoral re-election bid in favour of returning to his old Ward 2 Etobicoke North council seat.
“I wanted to come here and express my sympathies.”
Judy Edwards said Ford “looked after the little guy. He said if I ever needed help, just call him. I got a ride to go vote and he was in the vehicle. He was a good guy.”
After a private burial Wednesday, Ford’s family is going to the Toronto Congress Centre in Etobicoke for a celebration of Ford’s life starting at 6:30 p.m.
The convention centre is the same place Ford launched his long shot mayoral campaign in 2010.