Google has updated its Maps service to label Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' for users in the United States, following an executive order by President Donald Trump directing federal agencies to rename the lake, which borders the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York. The company said the move reflects the US Geographic Names Information System's change and that users in Canada will still see Lake Ontario, with both names shown elsewhere.
The Trump administration issued the renaming order on Thursday amid an escalating trade dispute, including 50 percent US tariffs on some Canadian products and Canadian retaliatory levies set to take effect next month. Apple Maps continued to display Lake Ontario for US users as of Sunday. Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a 24-by-12-foot billboard near Grimsby reading 'Lake Ontario. Now and Always' in English and French.
Prime Minister Mark Carney invoked the lake's Indigenous origins, noting the name derives from the Wendat word Ontari'io, meaning 'the lake is beautiful, the lake is big,' and predates both Canadian Confederation and the US Declaration of Independence. Canadian leaders, including Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, responded with public mockery rather than formal protest.
Canada and the United States have not reached a trade agreement, with both governments accusing the other of making late demands in collapsed talks earlier this month.