Finlay Bay Seaplane Base

The closure was due to economic reasons, specifically the cessation of the supporting industrial activity. The seaplane base was not a public airport but a private logistical facility, likely established to support forestry or mining exploration camps in the remote areas of the Williston Lake reservoir. When the logging camp or exploration project it served was decommissioned, the base became obsolete and was abandoned.

The site is currently abandoned and defunct. An examination of satellite imagery at the coordinates 55.98° N, 123.78° W reveals a remote shoreline on the Finlay Reach of Williston Lake. There is no visible remaining infrastructure, such as docks, buildings, or fuel caches, that would indicate an active seaplane base. The area has reverted to undeveloped wilderness, accessible only by boat or potentially via old, unmaintained logging roads.

The Finlay Bay Seaplane Base held local significance as a crucial logistical link for the resource extraction industry in British Columbia's northern interior. Following the creation of the massive Williston Lake reservoir in 1968, vast tracts of forest and mineral deposits became accessible primarily by water or air. This seaplane base, and others like it, were essential for transporting workers, equipment, and supplies to and from remote camps. Operations would have typically involved rugged floatplanes such as the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, DHC-3 Otter, and various Cessna models on floats, which are staples of the Canadian bush flying industry.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Finlay Bay Seaplane Base. Its revival would require a significant new economic driver, such as a major new mine or a large-scale forestry operation, to be established in the immediate vicinity. Given the remote location and the current economic landscape for resource projects in the region, the likelihood of this happening is extremely low. The site is considered permanently closed.