The Debert Diefenbunker
In 1958, at the height of the Cold War and the infancy of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile threat, Debert was selected as the site for 1 of 6 communication centres and "Regional Emergency Government Headquarters" complexes being located across Canada. These nuclear fallout shelters were nicknamed Diefenbunkers, after then Canadian prime minister John Diefenbaker.
The Debert facility would be the only such complex built in the Maritime provinces. A small part of Camp Debert was proposed to be used for the complex along with supporting surface structures and personnel housing. Construction began in 1960 on an underground 2-storey bunker (approximately half the size of the Central Emergency Government HQ, located in Carp, Ontario) capable of withstanding a near-hit from a nuclear explosion (an approximate 1.6–2.4 km radius). The underground building had blast doors at the surface, as well as extensive air filters (mainly against biological, chemical and radioactive contaminants). Underground storage was built for food, fuel, fresh water, and other supplies for the facility which was capable of supporting 350 people for 90 days. Opening in 1964, the Debert facility was already outdated, since ICBM targeting had improved to the point where a direct hit was possible on the bunker. However the site persisted as a Provincial Warning Centre (for Nova Scotia), staffed by the 720 Communication Squadron, along with the space for the emergency government. Antenna farms were dispersed from the bunker and were located on the shores of Cobequid Bay in nearby Masstown as well as in the Cobequid Hills near Londonderry. On February 1, 1968, the merger of the three service branches into the Canadian Forces saw the Diefenbunker and support facilities, the last remnants of Camp Debert, change its name to Canadian Forces Station Debert (CFS Debert), in keeping with the naming convention for minor military facilities across Canada. In the 1970s, CFS Debert, as with most Diefenbunker facilities across the country, was downgraded further as the number of personnel were reduced. Attempts to find other uses for the remaining military facilities took place through the 1980s with militia reserve units training at CFS Debert. In 1982 CFS Debert was equipped with Telegraph Automated Relay Equipment (TARE) which was used to relay communications received at the nearby Satellite Ground Terminal Folly Lake. The end of the Cold War and reduction in the ICBM threat, as well as the Diefenbunker's obsolescence, saw all remaining military personnel removed from CFS Debert by the mid-1990s. In 1998 the Department of National Defence finished all environmental assessments and decommissioned the facility, transferring the facility to "Colchester Park", a local development authority. Today, a few remnants of a once-vast military presence in Debert remain. There is a firing range used by militia reserve units from Cumberland, Colchester and Pictou counties. There are many roads with former military buildings that have been repressed, the Debert airport, and of course, the Diefenbunker. In 1985 the Royal Canadian Air Cadets began to use the airfield for glider training. The first year saw air tow and winch operations, later years used a significant amount of auto tow supplemented with air tow launches. The regional gliding school used the agricultural college in Truro for the ground school, administration and dormitories. In 2005, the Royal Canadian Air Cadets used the Diefenbunker for its Regional Gliding School (Atlantic) Headquarters. Air cadets from Atlantic Canada ranging in age from 15 to 18 trained at the adjacent Debert Airport for the Advanced Aviation Course and Glider Pilot Scholarship programs. In December 2008 the 64,000 ft2 (5,900 m2) Diefenbunker was sold by the Colchester Regional Development Association to a private data warehousing and data centre co-location services provider, Bastionhost. Bastionhost was going to renovate the facility as a high-density, groundwater-cooled data centre. In November 2012 the Diefenbunker was sold again by the Municipality of the County of Colchester to recover unpaid taxes from the previous owner, Dataville Farms Ltd.
It was purchased for $31,300 along with the adjoining parking lot for $4150. The new owner indicated that he intended to use the facility for a data centre with an emphasis on cloud storage. In 2013, a part of the bunker was used to film an independent movie, Bunker 6. It was also used for laser tag and could be rented for private functions. At one point, a previous CBC Studio located in the bunker was turned into a media recording studio called Top Secret Sounds. Now in 2026, the former Cold War fallout shelter is being transformed into 50 underground luxury condominiums for elite clients seeking refuge from global crises. Renovation of the two-storey, underground bunker started in 2024, and has attracted attention from several buyers. The price range for the 50 condos is a secret — unless the vetting process determines you can afford one. A similar project in Kansas sells underground survival condos for between $2M to $5M. If you have a few million laying around, check out their website. The condo complex is called the Diefenbaker.
To log this virtual cache:
Please take a photo of yourself or a personal item infront of the bunker.
Feel free to get creative :)
Hope you enjoyed this little bit of Debert history.
Source: Wikipedia and CBC News Article (09.09.2025)
Virtual Rewards 5.0 - 2026-2027
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between February 3, 2026 and February 3, 2027. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 5.0 on the Geocaching Blog.