Ready for customers and retailers alike by mid-April 1973, the Town Centre opened for business on May 1. At the month’s end. Borough and Board officials, including Mayor Cosgrove, moved into the new Civic Centre, and early in June, guided public tours of the new facility commenced. Only a few landscaping details remained. As the local Scarborough Mirror newspaper triumphantly headlined, “Scarborough’s Heart Begins to Beat!”
The opening of the Scarborough Civic Centre was no ordinary event. Coinciding with a planned visit of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip to Canada, Scarborough invited the Queen to the official opening. Allotted only 15 minutes of her time, planning was of the utmost importance.
The Queen wanted the public to see her, particularly children. Six bands and choirs from local schools would participate. On the day of the opening, 200 official guests waited outside the Civic Centre while another 1,400 did so indoors. A much larger crowd of 15,000 waited outside. Arriving a few minutes late with a motorcade of 12 cars, the Queen and Prince Phillip were greeted by Mayor Cosgrove and Ontario Education Minister Tom Wells.
Giving a brief speech mentioning freedom, tranquility and “this magnificent building” the Queen activated a switch starting the waterfall in front of the centre, with its flow briefly delayed by several seconds in the only glitch of the day. After a brief tour inside, where she met Moriyama and other Borough officials, the royal party departed after what in the end was a 20-minute visit.
Following the Queen’s departure, the celebration carried on with several concerts. On Canada Day, Albert Campbell Square had its own official opening, filled with more festivities. Campbell, battling the final stages of the cancer that would take his life eight weeks later, had been too ill to meet the Queen two days earlier. However, he attended the Square’s dedication, calling it “the most important day in my life.” It was the culmination of his life’s work and his vision for Scarborough. The 2.3 acre public square remains a central gathering place for Scarborough’s residents to this day.
