Canadian sites display 'Lake America' despite Google’s US-only change

President Donald Trump's executive order has led Google Maps to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America for U.S. users. This decision, revealed by Google, is a reflection of the U.S.'s trade feud with Canada, which has resulted in reciprocal tariffs on billions of dollars worth of goods. The U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), responsible for official U.S. map names, is where Google updates its changes.

Consequently, U.S. users will see Lake America, Canadians will continue to refer to it as Lake Ontario, and those outside of the U.S. and Canada will encounter both names. Google announced this on Saturday in a blog post. The White House, Carney's office, and Ford's office have not yet commented on this matter. Google previously renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America after Trump's initial move on his first day in office.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney swiftly rejected the lake's name change on Thursday. Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated that New York will not use the new name, while Republican Vermont Governor Phil Scott called Trump's decision "petty and disappointing" on social media. Ontario Premier Doug Ford revealed a sign on Saturday that reads "Lake Ontario: Now and Always" in both English and French, asserting that the world will always refer to it as Lake Ontario, regardless of Trump's preference.