B.C.'s system of using independent qualified professionals in environmental assessments, instead of civil servants, is coming under criticism from people in Shawnigan Lake, where an old quarry that's been accepting contaminated soil has been the focus of local protests and court challenges.

Two-tier rate for electricity means homeowners who heat with electricity pay more, even those who switched from oil or gas furnaces to electric heat pumps, believing that was an environmentally-friendly choice.

The response to the federal government's decision on the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline in both provinces shows old differences between Alberta and B.C. remain.