I've lived in Toronto for more than 40 years, and I can't remember a former mayor receiving any sort of large public send-off. Nathan Phillips died in 1976, William Dennison in 1981, Phil Givens in 1995, and Alan Lamport in 1999, and although the names are familiar, I don't even remember learning they had died.
We do have the recent precedent of Jack Layton's impressive send-off, and there is something especially tragic about a man being taken before his time. Ford fans will need a funeral to help them deal with that, and even Ford foes may benefit from the closure it will bring to this unpleasant chapter of Toronto's history.