Since it’s new ownership on June 1, 2018, the CFS Alsask Radar Dome has seen multiple improvements and has opened up, for the first time, to the public.

Throughout Canada there were three rows of dome installations set up to anticipate an attack from the Soviet Union on the United States during the Cold War. The three rows consisted of the Distance Early Warning Line, the Mid-Canada Line, and the Pine Tree Line. The CFS Alsask Radar Dome is the last dome standing on the Pine Tree Line. Construction for the dome began in 1961 and was completed in 1963.

During the tour visitors were able to view the radar held inside the dome.

The radar dome has sat empty since 1987 when the dome and base were decommissioned. Since then the dome has been un-maintained, abandoned, and vandalized. When the Canadian Civil Defence Museum Association took ownership of the dome they found grass as tall as trucks, pigeon feces filling the floors, and garbage and debris lining the property.

The CCDMA got to work right away on the property after taking ownership.

They immediately started cleaning, installing signs, repairing the fence line, and adding security features so that what they have done cannot be undone.

On August 4, 2019, the CCDMA held tours at the radar dome and allowed public, for the first time, legally on the property. Fred Armbruster, Executive Director and Founder of the CCDMA, said that they were blown away by the amount of interest they received on the tours.

The tours were held from 10am-6pm, each one starting at the top of the hour. The CCDMA were happy to report that every tour was filled with people, their largest group being a total of twenty-three.


The CCDMA has many plans for the future to restore the dome and share its Canadian history with the public.

“This is apart of our heritage and everyone deserves to have access to it. Because of donations and donated time things moved a lot faster than expected. We are able to provide public tours, which we did not actually expect to happen this fast.”

Armbruster added that everything that was done was by private funding, they receive no corporate funding and no government funding at all. By the tours held on Sunday they were able to collect donations to go into restoring the radar dome.

"Our intent is to restore the dome as to how it once stood in 1963. We hope to tell the story of the people that worked there and what its purpose was. We want it open for people to enjoy because it's apart of Canadian history."

He added that CCDMA hopes to hold more tours at the dome during every long weekend starting next year's May long.

"I want to thank everybody for attending and for all the donations they gave us. It's phenomenal, it's really exciting to see that a building that has been abondonded since 1987 come back to life, to have people enjoy it and experience it."