Diefen Bunker

Today we took a tour of the Diefen Bunker. This site was the primary contingency plan for the federal government in case of nuclear war. Construction started in 1959 and the bunker started operation in 1962. It was operational through 1994.

This bunker was one of six built across Canada to support continuity of government and other critical operations during the Cold War.

The guided tour we were on was great, conducted by a veteran who served in the complex. This bunker was far larger than any bunker I’ve been in previously. It’s four levels and housed numerous functions including government (key agencies, meeting rooms, etc), military, communications, weather forecasting to understand and communicate fallout, a CBC broadcast studio, large kitchen and mess hall, and of course mechanicals capable of supporting all of the 400-500 people who would be stationed in the bunker. Additionally, it contained a vault to hold the reserve gold for the Canadian central bank.

If you want to see a little of the bunker, you can watch the movie “Sum of all fears.” Parts of that movie were filmed here.Read more