Trump wants 'Lake America'. Canada puts up a 24-foot sign saying otherwise

Premier Doug Ford of Ontario has erected a towering 24-foot sign along the shores of Lake Ontario, declaring "Lake Ontario: Now and Always" in both English and French. The banner serves as a defiant response to US President Donald Trump's recent decree to rename the lake "Lake America." Ford, describing Lake Ontario as a "crown jewel" of Ontario and Canada, emphasized the lake's historical and cultural significance, asserting that it will retain its original name regardless of Trump's proclamation.

Trump's executive order directing the US Board on Geographic Names to adopt the new name has no legal authority over Canadian territory or international hydrographic standards. Canadian leaders, state officials, and US officials have collectively dismissed the renaming, with New York Governor Kathy Hochul calling it "absurd" and highlighting the economic and trade implications for agricultural exporters.

Indigenous leaders, such as Wendat Nation Grand Chief Pierre Picard, also condemned the action as an attempt to erase historical and cultural roots. Despite the international backlash, the Canadian government remains firm in its stance that Lake Ontario will continue to be called Lake Ontario, now and forever.