To Ha Ly says his mastiff Simbia is no danger to anyone, but animal activists argue guard dogs left alone outdoors for long periods are ticking time bombs. Photo by Dan Toulgoet.

Chained and dangerous
The mastiff stands at least six feet tall on its hind legs, its large paws pushing heavily against a ramshackle side gate at 3494 Knight St.
 

Martin 'impressive' at Britannia
A few weeks ago, Britannia Secondary principal Randy Clark fired off a letter to Prime Minister Paul Martin suggesting that he pop by for a visit.
 

Councillor proposes booze tax
First, he floated the idea of extending pay meter parking into the wee hours to cover extra policing costs associated with longer bar hours.
 

Female politicians have come a long way but still not there
A former city councillor and parks board commissioner says it's just as tough for women to enter politics today as it was for her more than 30 years ago.
 

Prosecutor says public interest superseded chief's request
The special prosecutor in the criminal case against Surrey-Newton MLA Tony Bhullar rejected a request from the city's police chief to stay charges against the politician because he felt it was in the public interest to prosecute him.
 

Veteran Hastings jockey on his horse to Auburn
With Hastings Racecourse for sale and city council still unsure whether it will approve slot machines for the money-losing track, veteran jockey Larry Lacoursiere is heading south.
 

New city works yard good to go Monday
The new $22-million Chess Street Works Yard will open for business Monday, with hundreds of city workers and heavy equipment moving in over the next few days.
 

Weapons turning up at city schools
Baseball bats, 12 knives, three machetes, pipes, two cans of pepper spray and six replica guns are among 33 potential weapons found on school grounds or confiscated from students in recent months.
 

Groping suspect back in custody
A Richmond man facing charges in connection with groping women on Vancouver buses, including a 12-year-old girl, was back behind bars Tuesday.
 

Hooker helpers get mobile in converted ambulance
Two prostitute advocacy groups have received $250,000 to train and pay staff to operate a converted ambulance that will ply city streets offering condoms, needles and advice to sex workers.
 

Owner wants to know if his lost cats are OK
When he moved to Montreal last summer to work for several months, Paul Miller left his cats Phillipe and Chaos in the hands of two neighbours until he decided whether the move would be permanent.
 

Hard-to-house society branches into banking
VanCity is opening a branch in the Downtown Eastside to help low income residents left without banking services after the Four Corners Community Bank closes.