Highway 11 closure during manhunt posed safety risks, stranded commuter says

Winnipeg Free Press

18 hours ago

A driver who was stuck on a major highway in Ontario's cottage country on Canada Day due to a police investigation says the situation posed safety risks to commuters stranded in their cars for hours.
Nancy Turley says she was driving on Highway 11 after leaving her home in Milford Bay, Ont., at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday for training at a Salvation Army camp in Georgina later that morning when she came upon hundreds of vehicles at a standstill.
Police had blocked a stretch of the highway after an armed home invasion in the Hillside East area, east of Huntsville, at around 5 a.m.
Ontario Provincial Police also issued an advisory on social media asking drivers stuck on Highway 11 to stay in their vehicles and lock their doors during the manhunt for the suspects.
Turley says the decision to keep people waiting in their cars was far riskier than letting them go because it could have led to a hostage situation.
Police later said they arrested six people in connection with the home invasion.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2025.