The top 5 Toronto videos from 2013
The most memorable Toronto-related videos from 2013 could, let's be honest, all be Rob Ford clips. Our Mayor was a one-man newsreel this year, particularly after he realized he couldn't outrun the crack scandal and had to start fessin' up to his various transgressions. But let's aim for a bit more variety here, and not let Ford dominate this entire list. There was, after all, other local video that captured our imagination this year, from the gorgeous to the tragic.
Here's a look back at the top Toronto videos from 2013.
ROB FORD'S RAGE
This video of Rob Ford in an impaired rage obtained by the Toronto Star added yet another dimension to the already massive scandal surrounding the mayor. In a moment Ford went from clumsy and gaffe-prone to frightening aggressor.
AI WEIWEI SENDS 3,144 TO TORONTO
It was the centrepiece at Nuit Blanche 2013, and somehow managed to live up to all the hype. Ai WeiWei's Forever Bicycles installation was a dazzling structure to explore at the not-always-bike-friendly City Hall, but it was perhaps even more remarkable to see just how this intricate piece of work came together. Timelapse specialist Ryan Emond was perched on high to capture the whole process, and the subsequent video makes Ai Weiwei's piece seem all the more splendid.
JON STEWART SKEWERS ROB FORD
Jon Stewart led the late night comedy charge when it came to Rob Ford scandal coverage, reserving some of his best material for our beleaguered mayor. It's tough to pick a favourite from the numerous segments Stewart devoted to Ford, as they were all funny as hell, but perhaps the comedy was at its strongest when The Daily Show host has little more to do than deadpan the camera after playing clips of Ford's various antics.
LEAFS FANS STUNNED INTO SILENCE
If you're a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, it will be a day game that still leaves a bad taste in your mouth, when the Boston Bruins came back from a three goal deficit to win game seven of their first round match up in the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals. Jubilant cheers quickly turned into stunned silence across the city, as perfectly represented in this video, which went viral soon after its release.
SAMMY YATIM SHOOTING
The police shooting of Sammy Yatim, a Toronto teenager who pacing and waving a small knife on board a Dundas streetcar in the moments before his death, was unusual in that it was recorded on multiple security and cellphone cameras and immediately made public. Of the nine bullets heard on the video captured by a bystander, eight struck Yatim. He was Tazered before being transported to hospital, where he died. This might not be one you want to watch again, but it shook the city when it surfaced, and that we will not forget.
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