Port Elmesley Private Strip

The specific reason for the closure was not publicly announced but is attributed to a private owner's decision. The closure coincides with a significant change in the use of adjacent land, specifically the construction of the large 'Smiths Falls Solar Project' immediately to the west of the runway. While the solar farm is not on the runway itself, its development may have been a contributing factor, potentially due to the sale of the airfield property, changes in local land use priorities, or the creation of new obstacles. Ultimately, the owner ceased maintaining the strip for aviation purposes.

The site is no longer an active airfield. Satellite imagery from the 2020s shows the former runway area as a large, mowed grass field that is not maintained to aviation standards. The faint outline of the northwest/southeast runway is still visible from the air. The property contains a private residence and a building that was likely the hangar, which appears to be used for storage or as a workshop. The most prominent feature of the area is the large-scale solar farm that now occupies the land immediately to the west of the former runway.

Port Elmesley was a registered private aerodrome, not a public airport. Its significance was primarily local, serving as a base for the owner's private aircraft and for use by other local general aviation pilots with permission. When active, it featured a single turf runway (14/32) approximately 2,600 feet long. Operations would have consisted entirely of private, recreational, and possibly personal business flights using small single-engine aircraft. It did not handle commercial, cargo, or military operations. Its registration in the Canada Flight Supplement made it a known, albeit private, destination for pilots navigating the region.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Port Elmesley Private Strip. The land is privately owned and has been repurposed for non-aviation use for over a decade. The proximity of the adjacent solar farm would present a significant challenge and potential obstruction for any future aviation activity. Re-establishing the aerodrome would require a new owner with substantial aviation interest and capital to purchase the property, restore the runway, and complete the complex process of recertification with Transport Canada and Nav Canada. The likelihood of this happening is considered extremely low.