Mayor speaks out after fire chief arrest
Patrick Hardy (far right) at his swearing-in ceremony as Oka mayor at the Municipality of Oka on November 7, 2025. Courtesy Municipality of Oka Facebook
Oka mayor Patrick Hardy is calling for more humanity in media reporting and public discourse following reports of the arrest of former Oka fire chief Sylvain Johnson.
According to Le Journal de Montréal, Johnson was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol on the night of February 7.
In an open letter, Hardy encourages better balance between acknowledging the severity of drunk driving, while taking into consideration the trauma first responders endure and the effects it has on their mental health and wellbeing, and to extend that consideration into future dialogue.
“Let me be clear, without any ambiguity: driving while impaired is serious, dangerous, and unacceptable. Period. We do not gamble with other people’s lives. And when someone holds a position of public trust, the expectation of exemplary conduct is even higher,” Hardy wrote in an open letter, published on his personal Facebook page on February 18. “At the same time, I refuse to see this kind of incident treated solely as a public spectacle, a moment of shame to consume, share, and move on from. Because behind a reprehensible act, there is also a human being: loved ones, sometimes children, a family, colleagues, and a community that absorbs the shock. Saying this does not minimize the wrongdoing. It simply reminds us that a healthy society can hold two truths at once: protect the public with firmness, and preserve a measure of humanity.”
Following the breaking news story by Le Journal de Montréal, the incident was widely shared on social media and covered by some local outlets, including by The Pines Reporter.
“I do get the sense that when something scandalous happens within Oka, well, we become an easy target. Unfortunately, Kanesatake and Oka both share that. We sort of have a target on our back for the media for bad news,” said Hardy, in an interview.
“And with the arrival of social media, people take a snapshot in time. They don’t discuss, they don’t decide, they automatically condemn, and that’s what happened to him.”
The story has more dimensions than just the arrest, said Hardy. First responders endure chronic exposure to traumatic incidents, which affects their mental health. A 2018 study in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry found 44.5 percent of Canadian first responders screened positive for one or more mental health disorders, primarily post-traumatic stress disorder, and major depressive disorder. Research has found that the prevalence of mental health disorders among first responders is linked with increased alcohol and drug use.
“Ask yourself a question, do they have the proper support?” said Hardy, who has been more than 30 years sober. “Does every other citizen in our society have the proper support and proper care that’s available to them if they do feel they need some help?”
Hardy will discuss with the incoming Oka general manager and with the current team on whether the city can improve their support for first responders.
Meanwhile, Johnson is on sick leave and has access to Oka’s Employee Assistance Program, which is a free, short-term counselling or referral to counselling for employees experiencing issues that affect their health and work.
More first responders will ask for help if there is more open support and less stigma surrounding the issue of addiction, said Hardy. Following the incident, he encouraged the team to seek help. He also said he supports Johnson with his recovery.
“I’ve seen a lot of people rise up after some bad hits in life, and there’s no reason why he cannot do it,” said Hardy. “People can come back and turn things around.”
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Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
