Dr. Luc Boileau appointed as Quebec public health director

Interim Quebec Director of Public Health Dr. Luc Boileau responds to a question during a news conference in Montreal, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Dr. Luc Boileau has been appointed as Quebec's public health director.

Health Minister Christian Dubé announced in a news release that the appointment takes effect on Thursday.

Boileau took over the position on an interim basis on Jan. 11 following the sudden resignation of former public health director, Dr. Horacio Arruda.

Arruda was the province's public health chief for much of the COVID-19 pandemic, but resigned after what he described in a letter to the Quebec premier as an "erosion" in public trust.

"Since last January, Dr. Boileau's expertise and experience have been invaluable assets. We have been able to count on his long experience in public health and his leadership during the last waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am very grateful," said Dubé in the release, issued Wednesday evening.

Boileau came to the position after serving as president and CEO of Quebec's health-care research institute, the Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS), since 2015.

He holds a master's degree in health administration from the Université de Montréal.