Monday in MTL: mild, mostly cloudy, and a prog rock night to ease in

Bonjour-hi, and welcome to the first Monday of November. It's a mild one out there, 12°C and mostly cloudy, which is honestly a gift after the colder days we've had this week. Grab a light jacket rather than the parka, and maybe leave the umbrella in the hallway since the sky is only clouding over, not threatening anything. The UV is low at 2.0, so no sunscreen fight this morning. Just know that the sun goes down at 4:40 PM, so if you're thinking of a walk up the Mountain or a stroll through a park after work, do it early. Once the light goes, it goes fast, and you don't want to be picking your way down the path in the dark.

On the way in, there's nothing in today's material that flags a major closure or disruption, so your usual route should do the trick. Give yourself the normal buffer for the métro, and if you're driving, a little extra time never hurt anyone on a Monday morning.

A few things in the news worth having in your back pocket. Premier Legault has accepted Mark Carney's invitation to meet, but insists the meeting take place in Quebec City, which is a good example of the back-and-forth between Ottawa and Quebec that never really takes a day off. Carney has also called six federal byelections for December 7, three of them right here in Quebec, so expect the signs to start going up on the lawns. Over at Health Canada, protesters staged a die-in to call for action on pesticides, and separately Québec solidaire is demanding that the SPVM take action after alleged evidence destruction in a domestic violence case.

If you're grabbing food on your way home or planning dinner, there are some recall notices you should know about. Boulangerie Richard is recalling pâtés across Quebec because they contain undeclared wheat and fish allergens, which matters if anyone in your house has those allergies. A Montreal-North bakery has recalled all of its products over possible wood contamination, and Néo Chips is pulling its freeze-dried fruit sticks for possible dried stem fragments. Separately, six Amir locations across Quebec were fined $12,500 for food safety violations over the past year. Check your packages before you eat, and if you've got something from one of those brands in the cupboard, toss it or return it.

For tonight, there's a prog rock night at Théâtre Saint-Denis: a King Crimson tribute called Beat, starting at 7:30 PM. It's an indoor show, so the weather doesn't factor in at all. If you'd rather laugh than headbang, the P'tit Déj Comédie Club is at Théâtre Manuvie at 8:00 PM. Either way, it's a good way to ease into the week without overdoing it. The weekend looks bigger, with jazz on Friday, hockey on Saturday, and a stacked comedy and music Sunday, so Monday is really about saving some energy. Enjoy the cloudy calm, and have a good first day of the week.