Ready for the end: Inside Canada's largest nuclear fallout shelter

Canadian building massive nuclear fallout bunker Bruce Beach says he can take in up to 500 people if nuclear war breaks out.

With nuclear tensions running high between Canada’s nearest neighbour and North Korea, an Ontario man says there’s still plenty of space available at his massive fallout shelter north of Toronto.

Bruce Beach says he’s ready to accept 500 people at his Ark Two shelter in Horning’s Mills, Ont., where he’s been preparing for a nuclear apocalypse for nearly four decades. Beach claims to have the largest privately-owned fallout shelter in the country, as well as a plan to rebuild society following all-out nuclear war.

The nuclear survival enthusiast built his shelter by fusing 42 gutted school buses together, then pouring two feet of concrete on top. The facility is outfitted with washrooms, a well, two large water tanks, large-scale cooking appliances, storage rooms, bunk beds and approximately half a ton of food.

“The structure is probably one of the best-designed in North America,” Beach told CTV’s Your Morning during a tour of the facility. He had to bring a work light along for the tour, because the shelter does not have its own lights.

“Most people don’t think I’ll ever need this shelter,” he said. “There’s a difference of opinion about that, but it’s looking more and more like it’s going to happen.”

Fire authorities have tried to shut Beach down for what they say is an unsafe structure, but he’s resisted their attempts and insists that his shelter is safe.

He adds that the structure is not just meant to help people survive a nuclear war. “It’s about reconstruction of society afterwards.”

The only people currently signed up to stay in the shelter are those who volunteer to help with its upkeep.

Beach says there’s still plenty of room available in the shelter for those willing to put in some work.

He also acknowledges that he may not live to see the day the nukes hit, but nevertheless, he’s hopeful his legacy will contribute to the survival of humanity.