Ontario authorities in Canada installed a large sign along Lake Ontario's shore declaring "Lake Ontario, now and forever" after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the shared lake "Lake America" amid escalating trade tensions and worsening bilateral relations.
Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, unveiled the large sign on the shore of Lake Ontario in the Winona community, a suburb of Hamilton, to affirm that the lake's name remains "Lake Ontario," with the message "Lake Ontario, now and forever," following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement renaming it "Lake America."
Ford stated that Trump can call the lake whatever he wants, but the international community will continue to call it Lake Ontario. He emphasized that Canadians will stand firm to protect their sovereignty and will not back down to what he called "bullies."
This move came after Trump signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America" and directed the U.S. Department of the Interior to update the name in the official U.S. geographic names database within 30 days.
However, the order applies only to U.S. agencies domestically; other countries are not obligated to follow the change. Canadian officials rejected the renaming, with Prime Minister Mark Carney previously emphasizing that things should be called by their proper names, and this lake is "Lake Ontario, now and forever."
Tim Houston, Premier of Nova Scotia, joked, "It's Lake Ontario, my friend," while Ford revealed he had received calls from several U.S. state governors confirming they would continue to call the lake Lake Ontario.
The naming dispute occurs amid rising tensions between Canada and the U.S. following failed trade negotiations on 21 August and the U.S. imposing tariffs of about 50% on approximately $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, with Canada preparing equivalent retaliatory tariffs effective 8 September.
Previously, Trump and Ford exchanged sharp criticisms in the media, with Ford calling Trump a "bully," and Trump retaliating by criticizing Ford and accusing Canada of unfair treatment toward the U.S.
Over the weekend, Trump posted several AI-generated videos on social media, including one showing him kicking a Lake Ontario sign that changed to "Welcome to Lake America" and another featuring Canadian geese sporting Trump-like hairstyles and carrying guns patrolling the newly named lake's shore.
This renaming resembles Trump's past executive order to rename the "Gulf of Mexico" as the "Gulf of America" upon returning to the White House in 2025, which Mexico rejected, arguing that the U.S. cannot unilaterally rename a shared international waterbody.
The dispute also led to tensions between Mexico and Google after Google Maps displayed different names depending on the country: U.S. users saw "Gulf of America," Mexican users saw "Gulf of Mexico," and users elsewhere saw both names.
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes located between New York State, USA, and Ontario, Canada. The name "Ontario" derives from the Huron indigenous word "oniatarí," meaning "lake of shining waters." The Canadian province of Ontario also takes its name from this lake.