Four years in Toronto never felt longer than the stretch when Rob Ford held the mayor’s chain of office. Now, nearly a decade after his passing, the city finds itself swept up in renewed controversy as Netflix’s ‘Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem’ brings his story—and the scars of those turbulent years—back into sharp focus.
Rob Ford, who served as Toronto’s mayor between 2010 and 2014, was a figure both fiercely defended and heavily scrutinized. His time in office was marked not only by pledges to tackle council spending and pothole repair but by a series of headline-grabbing scandals. Footage of Ford smoking crack cocaine, coupled with allegations of public intoxication and combative encounters in city hall, fuelled international fascination and local unease. He died of cancer at 46, leaving behind a divided legacy and a family that would continue to shape Ontario politics.
The release of ‘Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem’ reignited debate over how Ford—and by extension, Toronto’s political culture—should be remembered. The documentary, directed by Shianne Brown, aims to move beyond tabloid drama. As Brown put it, her intent is to “really tap into the human being that is Rob Ford, not the political headline.” She reached out to Doug Ford, now Ontario premier and Rob’s brother, to participate. He declined, later condemning the filmmakers as “disgusting people,” expressing frustration at what he sees as relentless pursuit of a man unable to defend himself. “Poor Rob’s been dead for nine years, and they just want to keep going after him… Let the guy rest in peace, let his family rest in peace,” Doug Ford stated, sounding both weary and protective.
For Toronto, the latest media storm is more than an argument about one man. It is a reminder of how public figures become vessels for both collective memory and personal grief. Documentaries like this serve to chronicle but also to challenge, forcing citizens to reckon with uncomfortable truths and unresolved emotions. While some see the film as vital history, others, especially those closest to Ford, experience old wounds reopened. The line between public accountability and private mourning remains as blurry as ever.
The debate around ‘Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem’ is likely to persist. Toronto’s story, complicated and unfinished, will always have room for one more chapter—or a few more pointed questions about who gets to write the narrative.
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Doug Ford calls makers of documentary about his late brother ‘disgusting’
