The Ontario border remains closed to non-essential traffic and many Manitobans have already been turned away.

The border will be closed until at least next Wednesday, June 2, at which point the Province of Ontario will reassess the situation.

Constable Jason Canfield with the Ontario Provincial Police in Kenora says most people attempting to cross the border have legitimate reasons, but not all.

"Most people are actually travelling. There are a lot of people from out west that are getting laid off and heading across but there are a lot of people from Manitoba that we are talking to every day that are trying to go across to their cottages."

Canfield notes May Long Weekend was particularly bad.

"I worked Friday and there were a number of people trying to get through saying they had emergencies at the cabin but also had truck-fulls of groceries as well as their family and pets with them which led us to believe they weren't going for essential reasons."

Highway tractors and Ontario residents are let through without being stopped, but Canfield says vehicles with out-of-province plates are flagged over to the side to chat with OPP officers about their reason for travelling through.

"We are just trying our best and trying to keep the numbers from exploding in Ontario as well."

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Written by Kenton Dyck