Toronto's colorful former mayor Rob Ford dies of cancer

Then Toronto Mayor Rob Ford laughs during council beside councillor Giorgio Mammoliti at City Hall in Toronto, in this Nov 14, 2013 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

His promise to "stop the gravy train" at city hall became the central mantra of his 2010 mayoral campaign and ultimately lifted him to victory. Ford became mayor of Canada's biggest city by taking 47 percent of the vote and outpacing his closest competitor by 10 points.

Despite this electoral triumph, Ford's stint as mayor was contentious almost from the beginning, partly because of his politics and partly because of the increasing distractions of his personal life.

One of Ford's biggest preoccupations was subways, which led to many council fights over transit expansion, which he insisted could not happen without more subways.

City council under Ford nonetheless introduced a number of significant changes, including the repeal of the dreaded vehicle registration tax, outsourcing garbage collection in the city's west end and a deal with city workers that averted a strike.