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Trump renames Lake Ontario
Google changed the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America on its maps for US users after an order by US President Donald Trump, while Google said the lake would still appear as Lake Ontario in Canada and that people outside the US and Canada would see both names.
“Google has changed the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America on its maps in the United States”
The BBC reported that Ontario Premier Doug Ford hit back at Trump by installing a large sign on Canada's shoreline with the message "Lake Ontario. Now and Always.", after Trump signed an executive order on Thursday seeking to change the name to Lake America.
The BBC said the renaming row was triggered after trade talks collapsed, with the US imposing new 50% tariffs on $20bn (C$28bn) of Canadian goods and Canada planning "dollar for dollar" counter-tariffs next month.
In the same dispute, the BBC quoted Google explaining that "people using Maps in the US will see 'Lake America', those in Canada will continue to see 'Lake Ontario'" and those outside the US and Canada would see both names.
The Al Jazeera report said the decision reflected a change made by the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), and it added that users in the US started reporting the update on Sunday.
Ford, Carney and Apple
Ontario Premier Doug Ford told the US network ABC News that "No one’s going to call it Lake America. It’s been Lake Ontario for hundreds of years," and the BBC said he added that it would continue to be called Lake Ontario long after Trump is gone.
The BBC reported that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney previously responded by insisting "things must be called by their name, and this lake is called Lake Ontario - today and forever," tying the name to Indigenous roots.
In a separate development, the BBC said American Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told the Fox Business program "Mornings with Maria" that Trump reached out directly to Apple to change the name on its mapping platform in compliance with the executive order.
The BBC also reported that Hydro One, a Toronto-based utility, apologized on Sunday for the appearance of the name "Lake America" on its map and said it was working with a third-party mapping service to fix the issue.
The Al Jazeera report said Trump had threatened to change the name as a retaliatory measure against Canada, and it described the order as a slight to Canada as trade tensions escalated.
Maps, GNIS and wider fallout
Google said it updated Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, and the BBC reported that the US Department of the Interior had 30 days to update the name change with the Geographic Names Information Service.
“"We won’t change it."”
The BBC said the executive order gives the US Department of the Interior 30 days to update the name change with the Geographic Names Information Service, and it also noted that other countries are not required to follow.
The BBC reported that MapQuest said in a Facebook post on Friday: "We won’t change it," and it described a tool allowing users to rename the lake to any name they choose and share what they created.
In Canada, the BBC said a Toronto-based electricity services company apologized for the appearance of the name "Lake America" on its map, and it quoted Hydro One saying: "We apologize for this error and any confusion it may have caused."
The Al Jazeera report said Trump had shared AI-generated videos about the lake, including one showing him kicking over a Lake Ontario sign and replacing it with one that says "Welcome to Lake America," as the dispute continued alongside tariff escalation.