Canadian soldiers in the streets of Toronto caused a stir on social media Monday night.

The furor began when Toronto Police tweeted a public safety alert that soldiers were conducting drills with “training rifles” “all over (the) city” but “we are not being invaded.”

Toronto Police spokesman Const. Victor Kwong said that police had begun receiving calls from concerned citizens near the Moss Park Armoury on Queen Street East.

Captain Christopher Wattie, the public affairs officer for 32 Canadian Brigade Headquarters, said the drills in question were most likely 13-kilometre readiness marches carried out as part of soldiers’ routine fitness testing which happen occasionally around the city.

Though there was no actual war to speak of, that didn’t stop Torontonians on Twitter from launching their own attacks.

“This could be traumatizing to people with histories of trauma/ PTSD,” tweeted Melanie Roscoe, who said she was in contact with a group of refugee sponsors and worried people from war torn countries may be triggered by the site of armed soldiers on Canadian streets.

“Don’t be dramatic. They’re your Army. They protect you. Wave hello to them,” replied Keith Maxwell.

The debate, carried about mostly by people who appeared to have neither witnessed nor been impacted directly by Monday night’s drills seemed to focus on whether “rubber rifles” are, in fact, even a thing.

Keith Maxwell, professing to have spent 41 years in the military, claimed that the army doesn’t have “training rifles.”

“Soldiers train with real weapons,” Maxwell claimed.

Capt. Wattie, however, says the military does train with what they call “rubber rifles” as part of the fitness marches. They are the same size, shape and weight as regular rifles but are entirely inert.

“They also don’t bounce,” Wattie said, with a chuckle.

This isn’t the first time that Canadian troops have caused some tongue-in-cheek commentary on Twitter.

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In October, Canadian Forces members of the 32nd Combat Engineer Regiment conducted shoreline landings at three points along the city’s waterfront, prompting much the same response from Toronto Police.

“Canadian forces conducting armed simulated training exercises in the Beaches area,” Toronto Police tweeted.

Again, “we are not being invaded.”

“Are you sure?” replied a twitter user named Happy Traveller, “Maybe they’re our neighbours to the south trying to run away from election results.”

“Everyone calm down,” wrote Krinkelz, “they’re just here for the smores!”

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