Monday heat warning, smoke in the air, and real food opens up

Heat warning's in effect today—we're sitting at 17°C but the UV's running high at 7.0, so if you're heading out for the day, sunscreen isn't optional. Smoke from fires up in northern Quebec is making the air quality rough through today, so if you've got respiratory stuff or just feel it, that's why. You've got a solid 15 hours and 23 minutes of daylight, with sunset at 8:50 tonight, so there's plenty of evening left if you want to use it.

On the commute side, nothing major tying things up this morning, so you should be good to move around the city the way you normally would.

A couple of things worth knowing: Council's voting this Wednesday on a transit plan with 48 measures, mostly aimed at getting ready for the return to office in September—if you take the O-Train or OC Transpo, keep an eye on that one. More locally, the Planning Committee just approved a renovictions by-law that's going to make it harder for landlords to do bad-faith evictions, which is solid news if you rent. And if you've been waiting for a public washroom on the Hill, Shawn Menard won the Golden Plunger this morning for actually expanding access—that's a real win.

If you're hungry, Pine Marten just opened up in the basement of Brigid's Well with fresh charcuterie and a creative pub menu, so that's worth a look if you're after something good for lunch or dinner. Rockin' Johnny's Diner is back open on Merivale after the Westgate Mall closure, and if you're in Stittsville, Ivan's Meat and Deli has recovered from a power loss and generator costs earlier in the month—good to have them back. Also worth knowing: New Yangtze Restaurant has returned to Chinatown after being gone for nearly two years, so that's worth a visit if you've been missing it.

Tonally, tonight's quieter unless you're heading out—Coheed and Cambria are playing at the Hard Rock if you're into heavier alternative, and it's 19+ if that's your crowd. Otherwise it's a Monday wind-down kind of night. This weekend's where things pick up though: Bluesfest takes over LeBreton Flats starting Wednesday and running through the weekend with three days of live music, plus if theatrics are your thing, there's an ABBA Celebration show on the roster too.

Stay cool out there with that heat warning, keep the air quality in mind, and if you're out tonight catching Coheed, enjoy it. Rest of the week's got legs.