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.

PUBLIC ADVISORY:<br>Canadian forces conducting armed simulated training exercises in the Beaches area.<br>We are not being invaded.<br>^dh —@TPSOperations

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.

<a href="https://twitter.com/TPSOperations">@TPSOperations</a> That's how it starts, Americans pretending to be Canadian soldiers and then BAM we're the 51st state. —@DBSlugger

<a href="https://twitter.com/TPSOperations">@TPSOperations</a> are you sure? May be our neighbours to the south trying to run away from election results 🤔 —@h4ppYtrave11er

Some were less worried:

<a href="https://twitter.com/TPSOperations">@TPSOperations</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/IntelCrab">@IntelCrab</a> Everyone calm down. Their just here for the smores! —@Kr4k3n420

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.

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