Canadian authorities installed signs naming Lake Ontario in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's attempt to rename the lake as Lake America.
On Sunday, 30 Aug 2026 GMT+7, Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, ordered the installation of large signs along the Canadian shore reading “Lake Ontario, now and forever,” to counter U.S. President Donald Trump's attempt to rename the lake.
The U.S. leader signed an executive order on Thursday (27 Aug) attempting to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” and shared several AI-generated videos about the lake spanning both countries.
“Long before President Trump, this lake was called Lake Ontario, and long after President Trump leaves office, it will still be called Lake Ontario,” Ford said.
The verbal conflict between the U.S. and Canadian leaders ignited after trade talks failed, leading the U.S. to impose tariffs up to 50% on various Canadian imports valued at $20 billion, while Canada plans a dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariff policy starting next month.
Although the U.S. president has broad authority over how the U.S. names important places, other countries are not obliged to follow those naming decisions.
On Saturday, Google announced it had changed the lake's name on its map for users in the U.S.
“Because we update Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, specifically the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), users in the U.S. will see ‘Lake America,’ while users in Canada will still see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and users outside the U.S. and Canada will see both names,” Google stated.
Subsequently, both the Trump side and Canada responded via social media, with Trump posting several AI-generated videos, including one showing him kicking down a Lake Ontario sign and replacing it with one reading: “Welcome to Lake America.”
Another video depicted a flock of Canadian geese sporting President Trump's distinctive hairstyle and carrying rifles while patrolling the newly named Lake America’s shoreline.
Ford said Trump’s renaming of the lake was because he disliked Ontario and Canada defending themselves. “In case President Trump or anyone else forgets, we installed this sign to remind them this is Lake Ontario, now and forever.”
These remarks align with earlier comments by Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister, who affirmed the dispute by stating, “Things must be called by their proper names, and this lake is Lake Ontario, today and forever.”
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Source:bbc