Joseph Mery Arthur reached a milestone few ever will on Tuesday when he turned 110 years old, officially making him Canada’s oldest reported man.Born in Saint-Marc, Haiti in 1916, Joseph moved to Montreal 55 years ago, with his 10 children following him a few years later. Today, he has 25 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren, including eight-year-old Olivia-Rose Simmons.Simmons believes that her great-grandfather’s secret to a long life is keeping his mind sharp, in more ways than one. “He drinks cognac, he reads books, he does crosswords. That’s what you have to do in life”if (typeof window.rsm_galleries === 'undefined') {window.rsm_galleries = [];}window.rsm_galleries[0] = [{"html":"","src":"https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-29.jpg","width":1320,"height":1502,"alt":"","caption":"Joseph Mery Arthur is seen at the dinner table on his 109th birthday. (Submitted)","srcset":"https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-29.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-29-264x300.jpg 264w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-29-900x1024.jpg 900w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-29-768x874.jpg 768w"},{"html":"","src":"https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-30.jpg","width":1320,"height":993,"alt":"","caption":"Joseph Mery Arthur is seen with his family during his 109th birthday party. (Submitted)","srcset":"https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-30.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-30-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-30-1024x770.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-30-768x578.jpg 768w"},{"html":"","src":"https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-31.jpg","width":1320,"height":594,"alt":"","caption":"Joseph Mery Arthur is seen with his family during his 109th birthday party. (Submitted)","srcset":"https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-31.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-31-300x135.jpg 300w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-31-1024x461.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-31-768x346.jpg 768w"},{"html":"","src":"https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-27-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1440,"alt":"","caption":"Joseph Mery Arthur sits in the backyard of his home in Mascouche a few days after his 110th birthday on July 10, 2026. (Genevieve Sylvestre, CityNews)","srcset":"https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-27-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-27-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-27-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-27-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-27-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-27-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/montreal.citynews.ca\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/sites\/19\/2026\/07\/Image-27-310x174.jpg 310w"}];Open Gallery4 itemsJosheph’s own life philosophy is slightly different.“The secret? The secret is to be wise in life. Do everything in moderation.”Still able to walk on his own, Arthur’s family is in awe of what he can still accomplish at his age.“Yes, I still read,” Joseph said. “It’s not very easy with my eyesight anymore, but I have to find a way to pass the time”Joseph’s son, Harold Arthur, says that it is his father’s love and knowledge of sports and game strategy, especially for his favorites, baseball and tennis, that is most impressive for his age. Because Joseph remained active in his community and lived his life with a moral compass always pointing north, the big 110 didn’t come as too big of a shock to Harold. “We are not surprised because he’s always been an amazing person. We talk about wisdom and to not live in excess and that’s the kind of life that he lived.”Harold Arthur, one of Joseph Mery Arthur’s sons, is seen in his father’s backyard in Mascouche on July 10, 2026. (Genevieve Sylvestre, CityNews)Joseph worked as a public servant in Haiti and, after arriving in Canada, worked at a bakery and later at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel before retiring. Over the years, he became deeply involved in the Haitian community through various organizations, leaving behind a legacy of work and sacrifice that his family does not take for granted.“He’s a hard worker,” said Harold. “He didn’t count hours of sacrifices just to make sure that his family was well taken care of.”While he lives his life with the wisdom he obtained from his father, Harold jokes that he hopes he didn’t inherit his father’s genes for old age.Joseph himself recalls having prayed not to make it quite so far, but today, he feels grateful to have met so many of him great-grandchildren.“In my life, at one point, I asked God to let me stop at 75 years old.” A picture of Joseph Mery Arthur in his twenties alongside a picture of his late-wife is seen on July 10, 2026. (Genevieve Sylvestre, CityNews)Joseph’s family will celebrate his birthday with a private barbecue celebration over the weekend, and at least one attendee hopes to one day make it to her own 110th birthday.“I want to live until 128, or maybe 90, I don’t know,” said Simmons. “I don’t know how long I’m going to live up to, but I know I’m gonna be a great person, just like my great-grandfather.”