"We had a doozy of a global ambassador in Rob Ford, of course. Say what you like about the guy, but 2013 and 2014 — the peak of his notoriety — were both record years for tourism in Toronto."
I've heard variations on this one before, and honestly, you just have to laugh. And it would pretty contemptuous laughter, at that: As if Ford really had a damn thing to do with any levels of tourism the city received during his reign, as if potential tourists would actually invest time, effort and money to visit Toronto primarily to catch a glimpse of the obese buffoon, as if anyone would base a trip to another city (never mind country) on basking in the questionable celebrity of any politician, as if Ford's notoriety made him anything even remotely resembling a "global ambassador."