* Opposition to fracking crosses demographic divide in BC

VANCOUVER — For the past three years, British Columbians have been unable to evade discussions about energy. At the start of the debate, the focus was placed on the Enbridge Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain expansion projects. Now, the implications of the nascent liquefied natural gas industry have become more prevalent, especially for the provincial government.

British Columbians, along with Quebecers, have traditionally been the most environmentally friendly of all Canadians. We are more likely to believe humans cause climate change, more likely to demand action from politicians and more likely to do something ourselves than residents of other provinces.

This unanimity on environmental awareness is not present when it comes to energy. The numbers show two very distinct groups in British Columbia that do not see eye to eye on the need to balance economic growth with environmental stewardship.

The latest round of polling from Insights West continues to show a large proportion of residents voicing opposition to both the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline and the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain expansion. However, the way residents are assembled into two explicit clusters tells us a lot about expectations and motivations.