'Lake America' change highlights Canada's reliance on U.S. tech

The Apple Maps application for US users has begun displaying the lake known as Lake Ontario under the name "Lake America," following an executive order from President Donald Trump. This change comes amid a trade dispute between the United States and Canada. While Apple users in other countries will continue to see the lake named Lake Ontario, the US users are the only ones affected by this decision.

Apple reportedly considered complying with Trump's order after receiving a personal request from the president. President Trump celebrated the news on his social media platform, stating that the name change was "complete, ratified, and binding" after Google Maps also adopted the new name. However, the US cannot force other countries to change the name of the lake.

The renaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America was announced by President Trump last week, though he did not discuss the ongoing trade tensions between the US and Canada in the order. Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney, rejected the effort to rename the lake, emphasizing that the lake's name originates from the Indigenous Wendat language and predates both the Canadian Confederation and the US Declaration of Independence.

Recently, trade talks between Washington and Ottawa fell apart, with the US imposing a 50% tariff on several Canadian goods and threatening additional duties. Canada retaliated with its own tariffs on hundreds of US imports. The renaming of the lake was initiated by President Trump, who claimed it honors the contributions of American people and the rich heritage of US history.

Apple's competitor Google had already changed the name on its Maps application over the weekend, citing the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).