Hearst lawyer J.C. André Lehoux named Superior Court judge in Haileybury

Hearst lawyer J.C. André Lehoux has been appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Haileybury, the federal Department of Justice announced May 11.

The appointment affects the court’s Haileybury-based vacancy, which the Department of Justice said is located there because of internal court transfers made by the Chief Justice.

Lehoux was a sole practitioner in Hearst before the appointment.

He replaces Justice J.A.S. Wilcox of North Bay. Wilcox elected to become a supernumerary judge effective Aug. 6, 2025.

Biographical information released by the Department of Justice says Lehoux was born in Hearst and lived in Montréal for part of his childhood. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa in 1991 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1994. He was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1996.

The department’s biography says Lehoux held jobs including day labourer at a particle board factory and clerk at a construction company.

It also says he has practised law in private practice in Northern Ontario since 2007 and has served Indigenous communities along the James Bay coast. His work has included criminal law, family law, real estate law, wills and estates, and civil litigation, among other areas.

In Hearst, the biography says Lehoux served for more than 10 years on the board of Maison Arc-en-ciel, including as chair. It also says he contributed to the Notre-Dame de Hearst Hospital Foundation and served on the board of the Grand-Nord Legal Clinic.

Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal cabinet and recommendations from the minister of justice.