Friday's Cool and Clear — TIFF Takes Over, Watch the 401

Morning. We've dropped down to 13°C overnight — noticeably cooler than the last few days, so grab a layer if you're heading out. The UV's running high at 6.0, so even on a clear day like this one, sunscreen still matters if you're outside for a stretch. You've got clear skies all day and a solid 12 hours and 44 minutes of daylight, so the evening won't disappear until 7:36 PM.

If you're commuting this morning, heads up: there's highway maintenance work closing all lanes on the 401 westbound on-ramp at Leslie Street, and the collector ramp's down too. That's going to back things up if you're heading west out of the city, so give yourself extra time or find another route. Leslie Street itself is affected from near Oriole GO Station down toward the 401 ramp. Not the smoothest Friday morning for that corridor, so plan around it.

On the local front, a few things worth noting. Ontario's homelessness rate jumped 23% over four years while provincial spending flatlined — that's a real pressure point playing out across the city. There's also a lawsuit moving forward after a 15-year-old was hit at a Toronto intersection; the family is suing the province and the city over the removal of a speed camera at that location. And if you've been following the climate conversation since that September storm dumped a month's worth of rain in hours just days ago, the conversation around how we plan for weather events isn't cooling down.

For eating, there's some interesting stuff happening. A whole hidden food scene's been building on Facebook Marketplace where Toronto creators are selling homemade meals — worth a scoop if you're into that. Anthony Rose opened Schmaltz at Night not far from his bagel spot, trading bagels for lobster rolls and queso wieners, which is a wild pivot. And if you're in the mood for something sweet, people are already lining up for a new cookie shop that just landed in the city.

Tonight's got some real options. TIFF is in full swing — the festival's running all weekend and the Royal Alexandra's got programming starting at 3:30 PM if you want to catch something on the big screen. Locally, the Brampton Steelheads are home at the CAA Centre at 7:00 PM if you're into junior hockey. And if you're hunting live music, there's rock happening at Sneaky Dee's and other venues across the city. Kim Gordon's in town too, if that's your lane.

Weather's perfect for moving around outside without melting — clear, cool, and dry. Make the most of the daylight and the evening while you've got it.

Enjoy the Friday.