Doug Ford Denounces Trump's 50% Tariff-Era 'Lake America' Push

Q: Will tech giants map different names for the same shared lake depending on which side of the border you stand?

Probably yes for some platforms, but not uniformly—and not immediately. Trump’s order only binds U.S. federal agencies, which are expected to update the Geographic Names Information System to “Lake America.” That matters because major map companies often use federal naming databases as a source. After the earlier Gulf of Mexico rename, Google, Apple and Bing eventually showed different labels depending on the user’s location, with U.S. users seeing the U.S. name and international users seeing the traditional or dual name. Lake Ontario is harder because the border runs through the lake itself. Canada is not adopting the change, and Canadian officials have said the name remains Lake Ontario. That means tech companies are under no obligation to show the U.S. name in Canada, and they may have to localize the label by country—or even by where a user is standing or which version of the app they are using. As of the latest reports, Google and Apple had not yet changed the name, while MapQuest said it would not change it at all. New York state also said it would not adopt the new name, adding to the likelihood of mixed usage across platforms. So the most likely outcome is a split map world: some big tech services may eventually show “Lake America” for U.S. users and “Lake Ontario” or a dual label elsewhere, while others may keep the traditional name. The result will depend on each company’s mapping policy, not on any single international rule.

3 articles · Updated · The Independent · Aug 30

Ford said on ABC that Trump’s order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” was “absolutely backwards,” while conceding he regretted matching the president’s personal insults.
Thursday’s executive order made the change official for U.S. government use, and Google Maps said it will show the new name to U.S. users even though private groups are not required to adopt it.
The spat is unfolding inside a broader U.S.-Canada trade rupture after talks collapsed over Canadian-made truck tariffs, with both sides this month imposing duties of up to 50% on goods including steel, aluminum, lumber and dairy.
Canadian leaders have rejected the renaming as a sovereignty provocation and signaled they can outlast Trump’s term, while U.S. officials warned any further Canadian retaliation would draw another response.