Google Maps displayed Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for users in the United States on Sunday, following President Donald Trump’s announcement that he was renaming the body of water.
The move drew criticism from Canadian officials, with Ontario Premier Doug Ford describing the latest source of cross-border tension as “absolutely backwards.”
Users in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario — the Indigenous-rooted name that has been used for the lake since the 17th century — on Google Maps, the US tech giant said.
The unusual dispute over the lake’s name comes as longtime allies Washington and Ottawa remain locked in a trade war, with both countries imposing retaliatory tariffs as Trump pursues his “America First” agenda.
Apple’s Maps app, which comes pre-installed on iPhones, had not adopted the “Lake America” name as of Sunday morning.
Google said it changed the name in accordance with the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), the federal government’s official database of geographic names.
“Since we update Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, which is GNIS for the US, people using Maps in the US will see ‘Lake America,’ those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the US and Canada will see both names,” Google said in a blog post.
The move echoes Trump’s decision in January 2025 to unilaterally rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”, a change that Mexico has also rejected.
Lake Ontario is the smallest by surface area of the five Great Lakes, which straddle the US-Canada border between Ontario province and New York state.
Ford slams name change
Ford renewed his criticism of both the trade dispute and Trump’s decision to rename the lake during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.
“It’s absolutely backwards,” Ford said, comparing the move to a sketch from the US comedy show “Saturday Night Live.”
“No one’s going to call it Lake of America. It’s just so disappointing.”
Ford also warned that a prolonged trade war would hurt both countries but argued that the impact could be particularly severe for the United States, given Canada’s importance to the US auto industry.
“It’d be definitely devastating on the US,” he said, noting that Canada has been the largest purchaser of US vehicles.
Ford warned that a sharp decline in Canadian purchases could put significant pressure on American auto factories.
“A tariff on Canada is nothing more than a tax on American people,” he said. “It’s probably the worst move you could ever do.”
The two countries have deeply integrated auto manufacturing industries, with a significant share of parts used in US-made vehicles produced in Canada.
Trump defended his trade policies on Sunday, saying Americans “want to make our own cars.”
“Canada has been ripping us off for years — NO LONGER!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
AFP
