Ontario premier erects sign in response to Trump’s lake renaming decision

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has responded to US President Donald Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario by erecting a large sign on the Canadian shore bearing the words: “Lake Ontario. Now and Always,” according to the BBC.

On August 27, Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America. The US president subsequently posted several AI-generated videos on social media about the renaming of the body of water.

“Long before President Trump, this lake was called Lake Ontario. Long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario,” Ford said.

Speaking in front of the sign erected along the shore, the Ontario premier added: “Just in case President Trump or anyone else forgets, we've set up this sign to remind them, it's Lake Ontario, now and forever.”

Ford said Trump’s decision was linked to his dissatisfaction with Canada and the province of Ontario, which stand up for their interests.

The latest exchange of statements comes amid deteriorating trade relations between the two countries. Following the failure of trade negotiations, the United States imposed new 50% tariffs on Canadian goods worth around $20 billion. Canada plans to impose retaliatory tariffs of a similar value next month.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had also previously rejected the idea of renaming the lake, saying: “Things must be called by their name, and this lake is called Lake Ontario - today and forever.”

At the same time, Trump’s executive order does not require Canada or other countries to use the new name. US authorities have broad powers over official geographic names within the United States, but Lake Ontario lies on the border between the two countries.

On August 29, Trump posted several AI-generated videos. In one, the US president removes a sign reading “Lake Ontario” and replaces it with a sign saying “Welcome to Lake America.” Another depicts a flock of Canadian geese with hairstyles resembling Trump’s and carrying rifles as they patrol the shore of the supposedly renamed lake.

The name Lake Ontario has Indigenous origins. Like the names of Lakes Huron, Michigan and Erie, it derives from the languages of Indigenous peoples of North America. Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five Great Lakes and is located between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York.

Trump’s executive order requires the US Department of the Interior to update the lake’s name in the official US database of geographic names within 30 days.

This is not the first dispute over the renaming of an international body of water during the Trump administration. In 2025, the US president signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Mexico did not recognize the decision, arguing that one country cannot unilaterally change the name of a body of water shared by several states.

A similar situation has emerged on Google Maps: users in the United States see the name “Gulf of America,” users in Mexico see “Gulf of Mexico,” while users in other countries are shown both names.

By Jeyhun Aghazada