31-08-2026
Google has updated its Maps application for users in the United States to display “Lake America” instead of “Lake Ontario,” following an executive order by US President Donald Trump. The order was issued the previous week and comes amid an escalating trade dispute between the United States and Canada, with both countries imposing billions of dollars in tariffs on each other’s goods.
Google said the change reflects its long-standing practice of using names listed by the US Geographic Names Information System. Under the update, users in the US will see “Lake America,” users in Canada will continue to see “Lake Ontario,” and users elsewhere will see both names. The lake is bordered by Ontario, Canada, to the north and New York state to the south.
The move has not been adopted universally. MapQuest has refused to rename the lake and has introduced a feature allowing users to assign their own name. Canadian officials, Indigenous leaders and politicians have criticized Trump’s decision, with some describing it as an attempt to erase Canadian and Indigenous history. The Chiefs of Ontario said the name Ontario derives from a Mohawk term meaning “beautiful lake” or “sparkling water.” Grand Chief Pierre Picard of the Wendat Nation condemned the renaming in particularly strong terms.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded by unveiling a bilingual billboard on the Canadian shore stating, “Lake Ontario. Now and always.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the executive order, while New York Governor Kathy Hochul said her state would not use the new name. Vermont Governor Phil Scott called the decision “petty and disappointing.”
Ontario is also reviewing government websites after some began displaying “Lake America” through Google Maps data. The article notes that the White House and the offices of Carney and Ford had not immediately commented on Google’s decision.
Entities: Google Maps, Donald Trump, Lake Ontario, Lake America, United States • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
31-08-2026
US President Donald Trump is pressing Apple to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” on its Maps platform, following an executive order he signed seeking to change the name of the Great Lake. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Trump had contacted Apple directly and suggested the company could soon make the change.
Google has already adopted the new name for users in the United States, in order to comply with the US government’s Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). However, Google continues to display “Lake Ontario” for users in Canada, while users elsewhere see both names: “Lake Ontario (Lake America).” Apple has not yet commented on whether it will follow suit.
The proposed renaming has generated resistance in Canada. Hydro One, a Toronto-based electricity utility, apologised after a third-party mapping service briefly displayed “Lake America” on its maps. Hydro Ottawa and the Liquor Board of Ontario also appeared to show the new name temporarily. Ontario Premier Doug Ford rejected the change, saying the lake had been called Lake Ontario for hundreds of years and would continue to be known by that name. He also unveiled a large bilingual sign reading “Lake Ontario Now and Always.”
MapQuest, an American mapping service, said it would not change the name. It also introduced a tool allowing users to rename the lake themselves and share their customised versions. The decision helped MapQuest become the most-downloaded free app on Apple’s Canadian App Store on Monday morning.
Trump’s order came after the collapse of trade negotiations between the United States and Canada, adding a symbolic dimension to already strained bilateral relations. The article also notes that the names of four Great Lakes—including Ontario, Huron, Michigan and Erie—originate from Indigenous words.
Entities: Donald Trump, Doug Burgum, Doug Ford, Apple Maps, Google Maps • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
31-08-2026
Google Maps has begun displaying “Lake America” instead of “Lake Ontario” for users in the United States, following President Donald Trump’s order to rename the lake and the corresponding update to the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Google said its maps reflect official government sources and that naming differences are handled according to the country where the user is located. U.S. users will see “Lake America,” Canadian users will continue to see “Lake Ontario,” and users elsewhere will see both names.
The move follows Google’s earlier decision to use “Gulf of America” for the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, a change that prompted Mexico to sue the company. Lake Ontario’s original name derives from the Indigenous Wendat word “Ontari’io,” meaning “big, beautiful lake.” The name was later adopted by the Canadian province of Ontario.
The renaming comes amid an ongoing trade dispute between the United States and Canada. Negotiations between the two countries broke down after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney objected to what he described as unfair last-minute changes, including U.S. objections to French product-labeling rules and Quebec’s French-language streaming requirements.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford rejected the new designation, unveiling a bilingual sign on the lake’s shore that reads “Lake Ontario: Now and always.” He said that while Trump could use any name he wished, the rest of the world would continue to call it Lake Ontario.
Despite Canada’s position, “Lake America” appeared on some Canadian government websites that automatically draw map data from Google Maps. Ontario Public Services Minister Stephen Crawford said the province was reviewing its websites to ensure they identified the lake by its “correct name: Lake Ontario.”
Entities: Google Maps, Lake Ontario, Lake America, Donald Trump, U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
31-08-2026
Google has begun updating its Maps application for users in the United States to display Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” following an order by US President Donald Trump to rename the lake. The change is location-based: users in Canada will continue to see “Lake Ontario,” while users elsewhere in the world will see both names. Google said the rollout reflects its longstanding policy of using names assigned by the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and displaying different names for geographic features when naming conventions vary between countries.
The update follows Trump’s order several days earlier and comes amid worsening economic and diplomatic tensions between the United States and Canada. Both countries have imposed billions of dollars in additional tariffs on one another’s goods as part of an escalating trade dispute. Google’s decision also mirrors its 2025 response to a Trump order that changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Trump’s latest renaming decision has been met with mockery and indifference in both countries. Ontario Premier Doug Ford publicly rejected the change by displaying a large message on the Canadian shoreline reading, “Lake Ontario. Now and forever.” The White House, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office and Ford’s office had not immediately commented on Google’s decision at the time of publication. The article, published by the Associated Press, presents the development as a factual account of Google’s naming policy and the political reaction to it.
Entities: Google Maps, Lake Ontario, Lake America, Donald Trump, United States • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
