TORONTO – Former Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman will be buried today in the city he defended all his life.
The 88-year-old died Saturday and a funeral will be held this morning at the Benjamin’s Park Memorial Chapel.
Lastman made headlines throughout his career for a series of mistakes and scandals, pleading with the Spice Girls to stay together and suggesting that he was concerned about a diplomatic trip to Kenya due to his fear of snakes.
As beloved as he is cheeky, Lastman served as mayor of North York for 25 years before the suburb merged into Toronto.
He then spent six years at the helm of the megacity, winning re-election in 2000 with 80 percent of the vote, before retiring in 2003.
Current Toronto Mayor John Tory and Prime Minister Doug Ford were among those who offered their condolences on Lastman’s death.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca