Ontario's largest electricity provider, Hydro One, issued an apology after its outage map displayed the name "Lake America" for the body of water officially known as Lake Ontario. The error appeared to stem from a third-party mapping service that had adopted a name change initiated by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Donald Trump signed an executive order last Thursday directing the Interior Department to use "Lake America" for federal purposes, amid ongoing trade disputes with Canada. This move prompted Google Maps to rename the lake on its platform for U.S. users. Hydro One, a Canadian-based company, subsequently used this updated mapping data, leading to widespread criticism from Canadians who viewed it as an adoption of Trump's renaming.
Hydro One stated on social media that they were aware of the incorrect labeling and were working with their vendor to correct the issue. "We regret the error and apologize for any confusion it has caused," the company said. The incident ignited fury among Canadian customers, with many expressing that Canadian companies should prioritize Canadian vendors.
The province of Ontario also launched an investigation into the matter. Stephen Crawford, minister of public and business service delivery and procurement, stated that the province was reviewing its websites to ensure all platforms correctly identified the lake as Lake Ontario. By Sunday evening, the outage map had reverted to the original name.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticized Trump's renaming of Lake Ontario, comparing it to a comedy sketch. "I just don't see the purpose. It's absolutely backwards," Ford said in an interview, adding that the name "Lake Ontario" has been in use for centuries and would continue to be. Ford also linked this action to Trump's trade policies, calling them "so, so disappointing."
Trump, meanwhile, doubled down on his anti-Canadian rhetoric, stating on Truth Social that he did not want "Canadian anything" and that Canada had been "ripping us off for decades." He encouraged Canadian companies doing business with the U.S. to relocate back to America, promising to remove tariffs for such companies.
Google acknowledged that the renaming on its platform for U.S. users would not affect Canadian naming conventions or how the rest of the world refers to the lake. Users in Canada would continue to see "Lake Ontario," while users outside the U.S. and Canada would see both names. The company recalled a similar situation when Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" during his previous term.
Lake Ontario forms part of the international boundary between New York State and the Canadian province of Ontario, a region jointly managed under the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty. Trump indicated he had contemplated the name change for a "long time" and humorously suggested that even the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans might be subjects of future renaming efforts.
In a show of protest, Premier Ford unveiled a sign at Fifty Point Conservation Area that read: "Lake Ontario, Now and Always."
