CFS Carp Canadian Forces Station Carp ( also CFS Carp and commonly known as The Diefenbunker ) is a former Canadian military facility located in the rural farming community of Carp , Ontario , approximately west of Ottawa . CFS Carp was decommissioned in 1994 . It was not until 1998 that it was reopened as a museum and designated a National Historic Site of Canada . Currently , the facility operates as a museum and is open year round for tours . History . In 1958 , at the height of the Cold War and the infancy of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile ( ICBM ) threat , John Diefenbaker , Canada ' s Prime Minister at the time , authorized the creation of close to 50 Emergency Government Headquarters ( called Diefenbunkers by opposition parties ) across Canada . These shelters were part of what came to be known as the Continuity of Government plan , which was meant to protect various members of government in the event of a nuclear attack . The Carp shelter would be the largest of such facilities ( over ) and the only one in the immediate Ottawa area . The underground 4 - story bunker required 32 , 000 tonnes of concrete and 5 , 000 tonnes of steel . The structure was capable of withstanding a nuclear blast up to 5 megatons from away . It had massive blast doors at the surface , as well as extensive air filters to prevent radiation infiltration . Underground storage was built for food , fuel , fresh water , and other supplies . The bunker was built to accommodate 565 people for up to one month without receiving additional supplies from the outside . It included an emergency broadcast studio for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and a vault on the lowest level to hold the gold reserves of the Bank of Canada . Construction began in 1959 in an abandoned gravel pit outside Carp , and was completed by 1962 . The original site , some east of Almonte ( ) was abandoned when ground water proved impossible to remove . These facilities were administered by the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals ( later the Communications and Electronics Branch ) . A decentralized transmitter site , the Richardson Detachment , with numerous transmitter antenna was located further to the west near Perth Ontario that was supported from a 2 storey underground facility of similar construction to the Carp facility but much smaller . Two radio receiving facilities , the CFS Carp Almonte Detachment and CFS Carp Dunrobin Detachment , with a complete receiving antenna arrays were built in the region but all buildings were above ground . Diefenbunker , Canada ' s Cold War Museum . CFS Carp was decommissioned in 1994 following the reduction in the ICBM threat . From 1959 to 1994 , the site was owned and operated by the Government of Canada , Department of National Defence . After the local municipality took control of the facility in 1994 , the community took a great interest in the bunker , requesting access to public tours of the facility . The local municipality took control of the facility and a group of local volunteers , recognizing the heritage and tourism value of the Carp Diefenbunker , undertook to open the facility as a cold war museum and conduct public tours . It was purchased by the Diefenbunker Development Group in 1998 , and officially opened as a museum . The name of the facility was changed to the Diefenbunker , Canada ' s Cold War Museum shortly thereafter . It is currently open year - round for public tours . Many areas of the bunker , including the PM ’ s Suite , the Emergency Government Situation Centre , the CBC Emergency Broadcasting Studio , the Military Federal Warning Centre , the External Affairs Ministerial Office , the Public Works Minister ' s Office and the Bank of Canada Vault , are being restored to their operational condition . The rest of the 358 rooms have been converted to exhibits of the Cold War era . Growth . Upon its opening in 1998 , the museum was run completely by volunteers . However , the 5 , 000 visitors received that year was too much to be handled solely by volunteers . In 1999 , the museum ' s second year of operation , a curator was hired along with some students . The museum ' s visitation doubled to 10 , 000 people that year . The museum continued to grow into the 2000s . Close to 15 , 000 visitors passed through the Diefenbunker in 2000 . Additional part - time staff was hired throughout the year to keep up with museum maintenance and upkeep . As of 2008 , the Diefenbunker averages approximately 25 , 000 visitors each year . Four full - time staff , nine part - time staff and numerous volunteers work to keep the museum running smoothly . In 2012 , the museum had 45 , 280 visitors . This was one of the highest increases in attendance other than the opening year of the Bunker . The mandate of Diefenbunker , Canada ' s Cold War museum is “ to increase throughout Canada and the world , interest in and a critical understanding of the Cold War , by preserving the Diefenbunker as a national historic site , and operating a Cold War Museum . Collections and research . The Diefenbunker houses a collection of Cold War artefacts , an archive and a library , all of which are made available to researchers upon request , and to the general public through the exhibitions . Funding . The Diefenbunker : Canada ’ s Cold War museum is a not - for - profit , charitable museum . It is funded privately ; the main source of revenue for the museum comes from admission sales ( approximately 75 % of total revenue ) . The Diefenbunker actively applies for private , municipal , provincial and federal grants . The museum also relies on the generous support of the community through donations and sponsorship . Additional services . The Diefenbunker offers additional services on top of public tours . The museum has space available to rent both for events and storage . The decommissioned bunker has been used as a movie set on several occasions , including for " The Sum of All Fears " and " Rulers of Darkness " .