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Ontario Premier Doug Ford has unveiled a new sign declaring the body of water to be Lake Ontario, days after United States President Donald Trump announced plans to rename the Great Lake “Lake America.”
Ford unveiled the sign in Winona, Ontario, in a video posted on X on Saturday, using the occasion to reject the proposed name change and reaffirm Canada’s longstanding claim to the lake’s traditional name.
“I’m here on the shores of beautiful Lake Ontario, a crown jewel of our province and our country,” Ford said.
He acknowledged Trump’s decision, but dismissed the proposed renaming as an issue that would outlast the US president’s administration.
“You may have heard that President Trump is trying to rename this lake, all because he doesn’t like Ontario and Canada standing up for ourselves, but let’s be serious,” Ford said.
“Long before President Trump, this lake was called Lake Ontario, and long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario.”
Ford said the new sign was intended as a reminder of the lake’s established identity.
“But 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,” he added.
Trump had signed an executive order directing US government agencies to use “Lake America” in official maps and databases, saying the change would take effect immediately.
“We’re going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario, effective immediately to ‘Lake America’,” Trump said in the Oval Office before signing the order.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the proposed renaming, pointing to the lake’s longstanding history and the Wendat origins of the name Ontario.
The dispute over the lake’s name comes as relations between Ottawa and Washington have grown strained over trade. Failed negotiations and new US tariffs on Canadian goods have prompted the Canadian government to retaliate with its own measures.
While the US administration can direct federal agencies to adopt “Lake America” in official US government materials, the move does not automatically change how the lake is identified in Canada or internationally.
