There is a lot of mixed information, and I am not surprised since every case is different.
For me, I was not able to get my HKID citizenship card. I am able to get a HKID that gives me the Right to Land, not the Right to Abode. So I can live, work, and study in HK with no restrictions, but I cannot work for any government agency, I cannot vote, and I can get deported.
My father is a HK citizen as he was born and raised there. He came to Canada on an overseas British National passport when he came to study in Canada. He was a Canadian national at the time of my birth. They asked for my mother's documents, but she is deceased so I gave them what I could. My mother was not from HK, but that had no effect since they only look at your father side.
Like I said, everyone is a bit different. Here are some resources to help those who are inquiring more information:
http://www.geocities.com/icehairball/
http://www.hketo.ca/sub_pages/press_...ov_23_1998.htm
Also, having 3 stars (***) indicates that the holder of the HK ID card is of the age of 18 years or over and is eligible for a Hong Kong Re-entry Permit. There are many non-chinese citizens who have *** and are essentially stateless.