B.C.INBRIEF

B.C. issues pipeline permit update

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s government has issued a progress report on permits for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, just as Premier John Horgan readies to travel to Ottawa for a meeting on the controversial project.

The Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Ministry says the $7.4-billion project requires 1,187 provincial permits, many of which involve Indigenous consultations.

The ministry says in a statement that 587 permit applications have been submitted to various permitting agencies and of those, 201 have been approved and issued while another 386 are under review.

Officer in coma showed signs of life

VANCOUVER — Victoria Police Const. Ian Jordan may have appeared to be unresponsive for 30 years, but his wife said his eyes would light up whenever she told him about their son.

Jordan died Wednesday, three decades after his police cruiser crashed into another police vehicle en route to the same emergency call.

His widow, Hilary Jordan, said unlike comatose states, Jordan seemed to experience sleep and wake cycles, yawn, sneeze and cough.

“He did show some signs of responsiveness. In the early days, you could feel a little pressure in his hand if you asked him to squeeze. We’re not sure if it was a reflex or not, but he would communicate through his eyes.”

Mark was 16 months old at the time of the crash on Sept. 22, 1987.

Police investigating 5 assaults at spas

SURREY, B.C. — Police have issued a public advisory about a string of alleged sexual assaults at beauty spas in Surrey, B.C.

RCMP say they’re investigating five allegations of customers being assaulted while receiving massages at two Iris Day Spa locations between 2016 and 2018.

One person has been arrested and charged with two counts of sexual assault for incidents that allegedly took place in December 2017. Rongxian Li, 58, is to appear in court April 19.