On August 30, Canada and the United States continued their diplomatic war of words over the US administration's administrative renaming of Lake Ontario. The province of Ontario erected a two-story sign reading “Lake Ontario. Now and Always” near the town of Grimsby, while US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video showing himself kicking down the sign and replacing it with one reading “Lake America,” complete with a dance to the song YMCA.
The tension over renaming Lake Ontario is the surface manifestation of an escalating trade dispute between the US and Canada, involving the 50% tariff the US imposed on Canadian steel and retaliatory measures from Ottawa.
On August 28, Trump signed an executive order requiring US federal agencies to use the name “Lake America” for Lake Ontario. The move had immediate impact as Google Maps changed the name to Lake America for users in the US, reflecting the order. The company said it follows changes from government sources but emphasized that users in Canada still see “Lake Ontario,” while users outside the two countries see both names.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney flatly rejected the renaming, saying the name Ontario comes from the Wendat language of Indigenous peoples, meaning “beautiful lake, great lake,” with a history of more than 400 years. Canadian officials view the move as an attempt to erase Indigenous history.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Trump is trying to rename the lake because Ontario and Canada “are standing up for themselves.” He stated: “Long after President Trump is gone, the lake will still be called Lake Ontario.”
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew compared Trump's action to an aging rock band trying to perform an old hit again. He said: “I think this is the stage of the Trump administration where he thinks he had a real hit with the Gulf of Mexico and is trying to repeat it.”
Grand Chief Pierre Picard of the Wendat Confederacy called Trump's move an attempt to erase Indigenous history: “It is unacceptable that a president can erase our history, culture, and identity.”
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, alongside Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie. With an area of 7,340 square miles, it is the smallest of the group.
