Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard pleads not guilty at Ontario sexual assault trial

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault in a northeastern Ontario court as his trial gets underway.

The former Hedley frontman, dressed in a dark suit, stood up to enter his not guilty plea on Monday.

Jury selection has begun for the trial taking place in Haileybury, a community within Temiskaming Shores, Ont.

Hoggard is facing a sexual assault charge for an incident alleged to have happened on June 25, 2016, in nearby Kirkland Lake.

He elected at the end of last year to be tried in the Superior Court of Justice by a jury.

Arguments and evidence are expected to begin at the trial after jury selection is complete.