Large grey parabolic antennae set in a snow-covered area.

A Fading Signal: The Cold War in Canada’s Arctic

Discover stories from the DEW Line

During the height of the Cold War, the Arctic was all that stood between Russia and North America. Canada and the United States built a string of surveillance stations, known as the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, to serve as North America's first line defence against nuclear threats. Starting in 1957, and for the next 35 years, thousands of Canadians served on the line. But for the Inuit who had lived in the North for millennia, the DEW Line brought rapid change and disruption.

A Fading Signal uncovers stories behind the structures that remained at the end of the Cold War and the lasting impacts on those who built, worked, and lived on the DEW Line. In an immersive digital platform, available in English, French, and Inuktitut, you can explore the DEW Line through a navigable 3-D environment, oral histories, archival materials, games, and animated videos.

Explore the DEW Line
Digital rendering of an Arctic environment with Cold War era airplanes and hangar buildings, with large radar structures in the background.

Click the image above to play a promotional video.

Educational resources

Looking to leverage this educational tool for your classes or schools?

We encourage you to contact our team to discuss how you can introduce this digital offering to your students. Please reach out to our Education and Programs Coordinator at education@diefenbunker.ca for more information.

We also invite you to check out our curriculum-linked educational programs — available virtually, or on site at the Diefenbunker Museum in Ottawa — for more experiential learning opportunities to engage with Canadian history.

Stay tuned for additional lesson plans and other educational resources to use in your classrooms!

Book an educational program

“The digital platform’s immersive sound effects and audio elements help bring the stories to life for students, creating an engaging learning experience that highlights the resilience of Inuit communities while also highlighting the harsh realities of Arctic change.”

Melanie Champigny

Indigenous Education Consultant
Two large grey parabolic antennae set in a snow-covered area with a large white dome behind them.
Black and white illustration of a map of Canada showing a black band where the DEW Line is.
A green sign with the text "Hall Beach" in between a Canadian and American flag, beside a road in a snow-covered area.
Illustration depicting an Inuit person standing in a snow-covered area, looking at a building and radar antenna being constructed.
An Inuit woman sitting on a couch speaks in a testimonial.
A large white dome sits on top of a low building, in a snow covered area.
Black and white photo of two men sit in front of Cold War era machinery.
Two large grey parabolic antennae set in a snow-covered area.

“As educators, we often learn alongside our students and need to ensure we use resources that promote alternative ways of learning. The Diefenbunker’s digital platform offers students multilingual opportunities to engage with Inuit experiences through personal narratives and archival footage. Educators are invited to have reflective conversations with their students about the ongoing impacts on the land and its people.”

Amy Van Brabant

French as a Second Language Consultant

“A Fading Signal: The Cold War in Canada's Arctic reminds us that the Arctic was never an empty frontier to defend but a homeland deeply connected to Indigenous identity, survival, and knowledge. Navigation of the website encourages critical reflection on how Cold War policies impacted Indigenous peoples, while highlighting their resilience, knowledge, and connection to land.”

Lisa Howe

English and Contemporary Studies Consultant
A black and red logo for the Diefenbunker Museum.
Digital Museums Canada logo.

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