Morning Brew: February finally gets cold, Stintz has no master plan, teachers have difficulty finding jobs in Toronto, and interactive census data maps

Did you notice that last night felt like the February we all knew and hated? That's because the city issued an extreme cold weather alert last night in advance of the northerly winds and cold winds that risked a flash freeze happening in some areas. Temperatures apparently dropped to -25 degrees Celsius (if you factor in the whole windchill thing) overnight making it finally feel like winter again.

If you thought Karen Stintz has some kind of master plan (like, uh, maybe to run for mayor?) behind her transit motion that was voted in this week, think again. The TTC chair tells the Star she approaches her political career "day by day" with the philosophy of "go big or go home" — a cliche that actually proved quite apt with the special transit meeting.

Landing a job as a new teacher in Toronto has become increasingly difficult over the last few years. The Toronto District School Board received over 11,600 applications from prospective teachers for the 2011-2012 school year and hired only 5 per cent of those applicants. Basically, if you're lucky enough to get a supply teaching position and you form a good relationship with a principal will better your chances of securing a full-time teaching job.

The parenting column in The Grid argues that "only children" are not exceptionally weird and socially awkward. That's a myth that can be traced to one archaic study from 1896 that's had some surprising staying power. So if you're one of the roughly more than 42 per cent of Canadians who have an only child, then don't sweat it (written by an unbiased only child).

Lastly, if you're looking for a fascinating way to spend some time today, check out Patrick Cain's interactive census data maps over at Global's website. Is your neighbourhood growing or shrinking? Zoom in and find out. Or, even more interesting, take a look at the population density around our current and proposed transit lines.

IN BRIEF:

• Raptors beat Celtics
• Ford thinking of selling 740 TCHC houses
• Sundin donates $330,000 to fund Toronto-Stockholm research for developmental health

Photo by Subjective Art in the blogTO Flickr pool