The area known as Columbia, later British Columbia (The Carolinas, Georgia, et al.) went into a panic in 1836. To the north of them, the United States of America had just banned slavery. Slavery was instrumental in the economy of Columbia, as well as to the Caribbean colonies. By this point, though, the British government had plans to phase out slavery entirely. It would take some time, but thanks to William Wilberforce (who campaigned extensively for the end of slavery in the British Empire before he died), the days of slavery in the British Empire would be numbered. The British government had plans to abolish slavery by 1840, maybe 1845 at the latest, perhaps even a bit earlier if the abolition faction garnered more support, but either way, slavery would be on its way out. It had made the British Empire look cruel, the other countries (especially the United States of America) said. This caused many of the plantation owners and slaveholders in British Columbia to start getting worried not only at the United States of America, but also at their British overlords.
Texas had just gained its independence from Mexico in 1836, with support from sympathetic pioneers from both the United States of America and from British Columbia--Mexico had to eat the loss. The Mexican leader Santa Anna returned home, humiliated. At this point, Texas would remain an independent republic since neither Britain nor the USA wanted Texas in the hands of the other power. Prior to this, many of the settlers in Texas had come from British Columbia, and brought slaves with them. The slavery debate had greatly impacted the Texas Revolution, and was seen as foreshadowing future events in the history of North America.
Andrew Jackson had a splendid career, from his roots in the early 1810s pushing out Native Americans from the Carolinas, exploring the New Orleans area, and helping with the development of the Carolinas and Georgia. Business was booming. Cotton, tobacco, and other plantation crops made their way to Britain, or to the United States of America. The economy was still heavily based off those agricultural raw materials. In an interest to keep Jackson where the British could easily keep an eye on him, and due to his sky-high popularity, the British government named Andrew Jackson as the royal governor of North Carolina in 1820. He performed admirably, alongside his famous colleague John C. Calhoun in South Carolina --termed "The Dynamic Duo" at one point in an early political cartoon.
Now British Columbia was chugging along well since its inception. There was little interest in taking it due to the weakness of the United States of America for a while, and even when the United States of America gained more wealth, land, and a more professional army, that did not change much. In case of a U.S. threat, British soldiers would be sent to the border area, and forts would be constructed as well. Limited colonial militias were also tolerated, primarily for the purpose of driving off Native Americans and protection against outlaws. The frontier (and the United States of America had similar issues) almost by definition had an almost "wilder" sense to it, and with a very limited police presence, colonial militias were tolerated as a necessary evil to keep outlaws and criminals away. Sheriff's posses served a similar role on the frontier of the United States of America until they were replaced by federal marshals and a much more organized police force later on. Some westward expansion did happen. The western part of North Carolina had enough people in it to justify the formation of a new province, which was called Tennessee. The formation of new provinces from Georgia was also considered once they had enough people in them. Louisiana was thriving, especially the area adjacent to the New Orleans port due to all the commerce going through it.
Now foreign relations were performed by the British government--for British Columbians, the one that mattered was the very mixed relationship between British Columbia and the United States of America. On the one hand, trade existed between the two due to close proximity and a demand for cotton textiles in the USA. On the other hand, the Americans, especially many of the people who were on the forefront of social mobility and justice, despised the people most associated with the "Continental Convention traitors". British Columbians feared the Americans, especially after 1836 when slavery was abolished. A flight of escaped slaves northwards could happen, and in fact, did. Now the British did not listen to the complaints of wealthy planters about the flight of escaped slaves due to 1. fear of an international dispute leading to war, and 2. Abolition sentiment was rising in Great Britain, and due to parliament reform, was expected to win by 1845 at the latest and end slavery then. The booming economy did little to distract many British Columbians from the tense political climate, with political arguments becoming more common. Increasingly, slavery was seen as a positive good by some of the planters who depended on it, while it was often seen as a necessary evil elsewhere in British Columbia, and as an evil that must be stomped out by much of the British parliament. The colonial Houses of Burgesses did receive permission of the British government to raise militias for removing the Native Americans, but these militias would expand at around this time due to the hostile, frightful climate. Perhaps more information was needed for the colonial Houses of Burgesses in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida. These had some limited authority to deal with certain problems like Native Americans and other local matters, but trade, economy, foreign policy, etc. all were done by the British government.
All would change in 1837. The largest British holdings in North America would soon find themselves on fire. For the British not only had problems with slavery in British Columbia, but would face the consequences of mismanagement and delaying reforms for far too long in Upper and Lower Canada.