Debert Deifenbunker

(Delayed posting. Visited during summer 2024)

Built in the 1950's and 60's, there were many bunkers built across Canada. Their purpose, during the cold war, was to provide defence and coordination of the military and government to any Soviet threat. They were called Emergency Government Headquarters and nicknamed Deifenbunkers for the John Deifenbaker, the Prime Minister of Canada of the day.

This one at CFB Debert is 64000 sq ft and many levels deep. It was the regional emergency government headquarters in case of attack. In 1998 CFB Debert was closed and the bunker was sold in 2008. The Enter the Bunker business that was here is now, on its website, a survival bunker for the rich but I doubt this has been completed. I suspect they are looking for rich investors.

This is the top of the bunker which was as far as I got. Apparently, as of summer of 2024, you had to pre-book a visit to the bunker and it was more money than I wanted to pay. Hopefully I can see the one just South of Ottawa that is all fixed up (their website is down but there are two links, wiki and Ottawa region tourism).

Fortunately my visit here was not a waste. I noticed this old barracks that had a museum sign out front. It was a CFB Debert museum and the staff member was very helpful. They even had a bunker display room with many diagrams of the bunker's use and photos of inside the bunker.

It would have been nice to have gotten a tour but it was still worth the trip.