Burns Lake

Burns Lake is a town in north western central Interior of British Columbia. It is the seat of the Bulkley-Nechako Regional District.

The Town of Burns Lake is an urban area on the north and south shores of Burns Lake and the isthmus between Burns and Decker Lakes.

The village of Woyenne, although part of the Burns Lake conurbation, is an independent municipality, part of the territory of the Witsuwit′en Nation Indigenous Administrative District.

Commerce
There is a variety of light industry in the town, which is also the home of the College of New Caledonia.

Air
Burns Lake Airport is a small airfield in Palling, northwest of the town. It is primarily used by general aviation, but Central Mountain Air operate a scheduled service to Hagwilget.

On 22 September 1976 a Flamingo aircraft of Pacific Coastal Airlines, operating a charter flight from Bella Bella to Burns Lake, crashed at Mosher Creek near Stuwic, a village east of Bella Coola. The Flamingo was carrying out a circling climb procedure within the confines of a narrow valley in order to clear a 6,000 foot ridge. Trying to clear a ridge at 4,500 feet a steep turn was carried out. Sensing an impending stall, the pilot leveled the wings and flew the aircraft into the trees in a nose high attitude. Of the two crew and seventeen passengers, one passenger was killed; the aircraft was destroyed.

Omineca Airlines was a short-lived commercial airline based in the town, operating between 1969 and 1976.

Rail
BC Rail's Grand Trunk Line runs through Burns Lake, which is served with passenger and freight trains at Burns Lake Station, where Express, Rapid, and Local trains all call.

The only long-distance trains serving the town are an Express service, the K′shian (Trains 73.1–3/74.1–3), which runs three times daily each way between Prince Rupert and Prince George. There are also two Local services which call at Burns Lake. Trains 7003E.1-3/7004E.1-3 run three times daily between Hagwilget and Prince George, whilst Trains 7007E.1-5/7008E.1-5 run five times each day between Ganiks Laxha and Prince George]]. The town also has several rail-served businesses.

Road
The Yellowhead Highway (BC Highway 16) is Burns Lake's main arterial road, running northwest-southeast through the town. The North Francois Highway (BC Highway 35) has its northern terminus in Burns Lake, at the junction with Highway 16.

Football
Burns Lake AFC play at the College of New Caledonia Field, which has a capacity of 2,550 spectators. They presently play in Division Three of the British Columbia Football League, having won direct promotion to the League by finishing fourth in the 2020 Division Three Qualification Competition. This is their third appearance in the League; their previous two appearances ended in relegation after a single season. The club won the Northeast Regional Championship in 1991 and 1998, and the Northwest Regional Championship in 2003. Their greatest BC FA Cup success has been to reach the fourth round in 2016 BC FA Cup.

Military
The Royal BC Navy's Bar-class landing craft HMBCS Boston Bar is named after the town; it was commissioned in 1974 and is used by the Royal BC Marines.