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Military exercise on Toronto's waterfront prompts tongue-in-cheek tweets about U.S. invasion, election

Armed with rifles and in full military gear, tens of reservists stormed the shores of Toronto today, transforming the city's waterfront into a battle scene.

No, it wasn't Americans looking to seize the city.

Instead it was members of the 32nd Combat Engineer Regiment, who landed on three sites along Lake Ontario as a part of a training exercise to practice techniques used in overseas operations and in emergencies here at home.

Soldiers landed at Sunnyside Park, Casimir Gzowski Park and Hanlan's Point Beach, prompting an advisory from Toronto police that, despite the soldiers crawling onto the city's shores, Toronto was not facing an invasion.

That prompted some tongue-in-cheek tweets about Canada's neighbours south of the border fleeing the results of the U.S. election or readying to make Canada the country's 51st state.

Some were less worried:

Soldiers with 32 CER serve on a part-time basis, the regiment said in a release. Saturday's exercise was meant to help them hone their skills in an urban environment.

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But as others pointed out, the most effective invasions are the ones that are unannounced.