Dr. Luc Boileau in heated public exchange with e-scooter rider in Montreal

Quebec director of public health Luc Boileau apologizes after an altercation in downtown Montreal that was caught on camera.

A video circulating on social media shows Quebec’s public health director, Dr. Luc Boileau, exchanging profanities with a man filming him on Sainte-Catherine Street in Montreal, Noovo Info reports.

According to Boileau, the man, identified as François Gagnon, was riding an electric scooter the wrong way on the street at what the doctor estimated to be 30 to 40 km/h.

“I was really, really scared,” Boileau told Noovo Info.

In the video, Gagnon can be heard taunting Boileau, while the public health director responds with strong language and criticizes the rider’s dangerous behaviour.

“I recognize I was very human and upset by the situation,” Boileau said. “I can’t fight, I’m not at the age for that, no one is.”

“I apologize because I made some inappropriate comments. I apologize to the public, because some things I said went beyond what I intended.”

Boileau filmed the incident on his cellphone, citing security protocols developed during the pandemic.

Boileau told Noovo Info that he has not ruled out filing a complaint with Montreal police (SPVM).