Provincial police have responded to numerous collisions on Highway 11 between Barrie and Orillia Friday as the region was hit with its first blast of winter weather.

One collision involved a small school bus and a vehicle in the northbound lanes near Line 4 in Oro-Medonte. Police say only the driver and their child were onboard the school bus and there were no injuries.

There were several reports of vehicles and transport trucks sliding off the highway into ditches and into the centre median.

"These were far from ideal situations that people were experiencing today and the conditions up there were treacherous," said Sgt. Peter Leon. "The sun came up and made the road conditions extremely icy."

Ontario Provincial Police had warned drivers early Friday to avoid unnecessary travel on Highway 11 between Barrie and Orillia due to icy conditions.

“The plows have been out and the salt has been put down but in exposed areas you can get slippery sections so you still need to slow down,” OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt told CP24 on Friday morning. “With the sun shining right now you may feel it is bright and sunny but the roads are still very cold and there still could be some snow and moisture on them.”

The OPP say they responded to more than two dozen crashes on roads in the Barrie area.

At one point Friday morning police were responding to eight separate collisions at once on Highway 400 and Highway 89 in Innisfil. Police say icy conditions were to blame. 

-With files from CTV Toronto and a report from CTV Barrie's Mike Arsalides.