Halloween Saturday in the 514: cold, clear, and loud tonight

Bonjour-hi, and happy Halloween Saturday. It's a cold one out there, 2°C under a mostly clear sky, so this is a good day for a proper coat and a thermos of something hot. The sun is bright but weak, with a UV index of only 2, so you won't need to worry about sunscreen on a walk up the Mountain. Just know the light goes early: sunset is at 5:43 PM, so if you're planning anything outdoors for the afternoon, get moving before then. After dark it'll be chilly on the terraces, so keep a layer handy.

The headlines this morning are a mix of the serious and the everyday. Québec solidaire is pressing the SPVM to act after allegations of evidence destruction in a domestic violence case, and the party also wants Jacinthe-Ève Arel's appointment cancelled over past statements. The premier is heading to the 20th Francophonie Summit in Phnom Penh, November 12 to 17. On the missing-person side, police are searching for a 72-year-old woman from Montreal North who is believed to have gone into the Rivière des Prairies, so if you're out near the water, keep an eye out and share any information you have.

Food safety deserves a moment of attention before you order or buy anything ready-to-eat. MAPAQ is warning people not to eat ready-to-eat products from Boucherie Blainville. Épicerie Val-des-Bois, sold through the Marché Richelieu, has an undeclared wheat, milk, sulphites, soy and anchovy warning on various pâtés and a spaghetti sauce, so if you're an allergy household, read the labels twice. Boulangerie Richard has recalled pâtés over undeclared wheat and fish allergens across Quebec, and an all-products recall is in effect at a Montreal-North bakery over possible wood contamination. Freeze-dried fruit sticks from Néo Chips are also recalled for possible dried stem fragments. And if you're craving a sit-down, note that six Amir locations across Quebec were fined $12,500 for food safety violations over the past year, so check the recent inspection record before you go.

For a weekend lunch, a Saturday in the city is made for brunch and a long, lazy meal, and a bowl of frites sauce or a smoked meat sandwich is always the right call on a cold day. Hit the Plateau or the Main, or pop into your local dep for something warm on the way.

Tonight is the big one. Arch Enemy and The Black Dahlia Murder are at L'Olympia at 6:00 PM, and it's a proper Halloween-weekend metal night. Hot Mulligan with One Step Closer is at MTELUS at 7:00 PM, and THIS IS LORELEI plays Bar Le Ritz PDB at 7:30 PM, so there's something for almost every taste. If you want to catch some culture before the sun goes down, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens are at Place des Arts at 2:00 PM. If hockey's more your speed, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens take on the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada at Centre d'Excellence Sports Rousseau at 2:00 PM. Since it's indoors almost everywhere tonight, the cold doesn't matter much. Bonne soirée, and be safe out there.