Sawmill Bay Airport

Economic reasons. The airport was built and operated exclusively to serve the Port Radium mine (also known as Echo Bay Mine). It was closed and abandoned following the permanent shutdown of the mine in 1982. The mine ceased operations due to the exhaustion of high-grade ore reserves and declining uranium prices, which eliminated the sole purpose for the airport's existence.

The airport is abandoned and unmaintained. Satellite imagery confirms the gravel runway is still clearly visible but is overgrown and not in a safe or usable condition for aircraft. The site is part of the larger decommissioned Port Radium mine area. This area has been the subject of a major, long-term environmental assessment and remediation project managed by the Canadian federal government (Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada) to address contamination from radioactive tailings and other mining waste. The entire area, including the old townsite and airport, is uninhabited.

The airport, also known as Sawmill Bay/Echo Bay Airport, was the critical air transportation hub for the historically significant Port Radium mining community on the eastern shore of Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories. Its operations were vital for this extremely remote site.

- **Primary Function**: It handled the transport of personnel, mail, fresh food, medical supplies, and other essential goods. Crucially, it was also used to fly out high-value silver and uranium concentrates.
- **Historical Context**: The Port Radium mine was Canada's first radium and uranium producer. It supplied radium for medical treatments in the 1930s and, most notably, provided uranium ore to the Manhattan Project for the development of the first atomic bombs during World War II. It continued to be a major uranium producer during the Cold War.
- **Operations**: The airport featured a single gravel runway (approximately 4,200 ft / 1,280 m) and supported a variety of STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) and bush aircraft, such as the Douglas DC-3, de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, and Noorduyn Norseman, which were essential for connecting the isolated community to the outside world, primarily Yellowknife.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Sawmill Bay Airport. The complete absence of any local population or economic activity makes its reactivation unfeasible. The site's purpose was singular (the mine), and with the mine permanently closed and the area undergoing environmental stewardship, there is no practical or commercial reason to restore aviation infrastructure. Any future access required for environmental monitoring is typically accomplished via helicopter or floatplane landings on Great Bear Lake.