Google Maps Update Sparks 'Lake America' Fiasco in Canada

Google's recent update to its mapping service has caused Utilities Kingston's outage map to incorrectly label Lake Ontario as 'Lake America'. This issue arose on Sunday, August 30, 2026, and affects not only Utilities Kingston but also the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) and Hydro One.

The problem stems from Google's approach to geographic naming, which updates place names using official government sources. In this case, a change made to the United States Geographic Names Information System recognized Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' in the US, but not in Canada. This means that users in the US see 'Lake America', while those in Canada are supposed to see 'Lake Ontario'. However, Canadian organizations using Google's mapping technology have encountered a different result.

Hydro One acknowledged the issue on Sunday and stated that they are working with their vendor to correct it as quickly as possible. The company also apologized for any confusion caused by the error.