Lake Ontario Renamed to Lake America on Google Maps Amidst US-Canada Trade Tensions
Google Maps has made a change to its platform in response to an executive order signed by Donald Trump. The order, which was issued on August 30, 2026, requires that Lake Ontario be referred to as Lake America for users in the United States.
The decision is reportedly linked to the escalating trade conflict between the US and Canada, with both countries imposing reciprocal tariffs. However, it's worth noting that this change only affects the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) in the US and does not influence official names in Canada or other countries.
According to Google, users in the US will see the name Lake America while those in Canada will continue to use Lake Ontario. The rest of the world will display both names. This decision has been met with criticism from Canadian officials, including Prime Minister Mark Carney and New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Premier Doug Ford emphasized that regardless of the name used by Trump, the lake will always remain Lake Ontario.