Redford, Clark hit reset on their relationship.

KELOWNA, B.C. — The premiers of British Columbia and Alberta attempted to patch up — or at least patch over — their once “frosty” relationship Friday, with a meeting in B.C. that avoided the contentious issue of pipelines that has divided them in the past.

B.C.’s Christy Clark and Alberta’s Alison Redford posed for the cameras in Kelowna, where Clark is currently running in a provincial byelection, before an hour-long meeting they said was focused on economic issues.

A year ago, Clark and Redford were in a public dispute over the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline — specifically, Clark’s demand for a “fair share” of the economic benefits from the project.

Pundits were busy keeping track of how far apart they sat from one another at last year’s gathering of the Council of the Federation, and Clark famously described a meeting between the two in October as “frosty.”

But on Friday, the two premiers used a tried-and-true method for calming any heated dispute: avoid talking about the problem.

“No, I didn’t actually discuss that,” Redford told reporters when asked whether the Northern Gateway pipeline came up during the meeting.

Clark suggested all is well between Canada’s two westernmost provinces.

“British Columbia and Alberta have been friends for a long time — we are the best friends in this country that you’ll find between provinces,” said Clark, after giving Redford a bottle of wine and a hug.

Redford and Clark downplayed repeated questions about the Northern Gateway project, which Clark’s government formally opposed at review hearings last month.

Redford said there were other important economic issues to occupy the hour, while Clark cast the dispute as little more than two premiers standing up for their respective provinces.

Clark did, however, suggest all hope is not lost that British Columbia could one day change its mind when it comes to Northern Gateway.

“Between the closing arguments (at the National Energy Board’s joint-review panel) and the decision, there are a few more months,” said Clark.

“So we’ll see what happens with that.”

The 1,600-kilometre Northern Gateway project would transport 550,000 barrels per day of oilsands crude from just outside Edmonton to a port in Kitimat, on the northern B.C. coast. Once at the coast, bitumen would be loaded onto hundreds of tankers a year for transport to Asian markets.