Our neighbors to the south may have a new name for one of the Great Lakes, but Ontario Premier Doug Ford made clear on Saturday that Canada isn't changing course. Standing in Winona, Ontario, just east of Hamilton, Ford unveiled a new sign proclaiming the water body's enduring identity.
"President Trump can call it whatever he wants, but I can tell you the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario," Ford told reporters, according to Global News. "I received numerous calls from governors, they're saying we're always going to call it Lake Ontario, and obviously Canada's always going to call it Lake Ontario."
The premier's defiant stance comes after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this week directing federal agencies to refer to Lake Ontario as "Lake America." The move followed the collapse of trade negotiations between the two countries last week.
"We're resilient and we're strong Canadians and we're always going to protect our sovereignty, always and we'll never, ever back down," Ford told reporters, according to Global News.
The sign unveiled Saturday features words from Prime Minister Mark Carney, who responded to Trump's order on Thursday by declaring the lake's name would remain "now and always." In his statement, Carney noted the name has existed for more than 400 years, originating from the Wendat word Ontari'io, which translates to "the lake is beautiful, the lake is big."
Trump's executive order claims the United States controls most of the lake's volume and bears primary responsibility for matters of security, environmental protection, and economic development in the region. The directive tasks U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum with coordinating through the Board on Geographic Names to implement the change across all federal maps, documents, contracts, and communications.
The president has doubled down on the renaming, sharing numerous posts on his Truth Social platform throughout Friday and Saturday. One video featured AI-generated Canada geese sporting what appeared to be Trump's signature hairstyle, marching with weapons beneath the words "Lake America."
While Trump insisted during Oval Office remarks that the renaming wasn't meant as a message and that he loved Canada, the move has drawn widespread mockery and criticism on both sides of the border.
MapQuest announced it would not alter the lake's name on its maps. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, posted a satirical video showing himself at a McDonald's location, where he signed a napkin declaring Lake Michigan would henceforth be known as "Lake Wisconsin." Illinois Governor JB Pritzker shared an image of Trump Tower in Chicago with the president's name struck through and replaced with "Natalie," dubbing it "Natalie Tower" in an apparent reference to Natalie Harp, one of Trump's closest aides.
Democrats seized on the controversy as evidence of misplaced priorities. U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the president ahead of November's midterm elections, writing on social media: "Inflation increasing. The Iran war raging on with no end in sight. A trade war with Canada. And what does Trump want? To rename Lake Ontario." He accused Trump of putting "his own grievances first and Americans last."
For now, the lake that has connected our communities for centuries will continue to bear the name it has carried since long before either nation existed in its current form.
