Keith Bay DEW Line Station

Military technological obsolescence and strategic realignment. The Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, which relied on numerous manned radar stations, was replaced by the more advanced and largely automated North Warning System (NWS) at the end of the Cold War. The NWS required fewer sites with more powerful technology, making smaller intermediate stations like Keith Bay redundant. The closure was part of a continent-wide decommissioning of these Cold War-era facilities.

The site is abandoned and has been environmentally remediated. After its closure, the station, like most DEW Line sites, was left with significant environmental contaminants, including PCBs, fuel spills, lead paint, and asbestos. Starting in the late 1990s, the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) undertook a massive, multi-year, multi-billion dollar project to clean up the former DEW Line sites. The CAM-3 site at Keith Bay was part of this remediation effort. All buildings have been demolished, hazardous materials removed, contaminated soil treated or removed, and landfills capped. The gravel airstrip remains as a scar on the tundra but is unmaintained, not charted for aviation, and considered unusable. The site is now an uninhabited and remediated piece of land in the vast Arctic wilderness.

Keith Bay DEW Line Station, designated 'CAM-3', was an Intermediate Station on the DEW Line. The DEW Line was a critical chain of radar and communication stations built across the Arctic in the 1950s by Canada and the United States to provide early warning of a potential Soviet bomber attack over the North Pole. As an intermediate site, CAM-3's primary function was to fill the low-altitude radar gap between the larger Main Stations (CAM-2 Pelly Bay and CAM-4 Shepherd Bay). It was staffed by a small crew (typically 4-5 personnel) who operated the radar and communications equipment. The gravel airstrip was essential for its operation, handling regular resupply flights, primarily by smaller STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, which brought in food, fuel, mail, and personnel. The station represented a significant logistical and engineering feat and was a frontline outpost of the Cold War for over three decades.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening the airport. The military requirement for the station no longer exists. The site is extremely remote with no resident population or economic activity (such as mining or tourism) in the immediate vicinity that would justify the immense cost of rebuilding, certifying, and maintaining an airport. Its purpose was singular and is now obsolete.