Google’s change of Lake Ontario to Lake America sparks backlash among Canadians and politicians amid Trump’s executive order.
Google Maps changed Lake Ontario’s name for its American users, and the internet is not happy.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario, which straddles the Canadian and US border, to Lake America. The US Geographic Names Information System formally changed the name of the water body.
On Sunday, Google said it updates Maps based on official government sources, meaning US users would see “Lake America” while Canadian users would see “Lake Ontario.” Users outside these two countries would see “Lake Ontario (Lake America).”
The backlash to Google’s change was swift. Some users on X called the change “pathetic” and an instance of Google “distributing misinformation.” Another criticized the tech giant for how it “bows down to” Trump. One more creative user referred to the platform as “Google Craps.”
Canadian politicians also expressed their dissatisfaction. Stephen Crawford, a member of Ontario’s provincial parliament, noted that some government websites displayed “Lake America” due to their reliance on Google Maps. Crawford stated that the province is actively correcting this issue. Canadian business news outlet BNN Bloomberg reported that Metrolinx, the public transit network serving the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, was among those affected.
“Some Ontario government agency websites pull map data directly from Google Maps. Following recent changes by Google, we’re actively reviewing our websites to make sure they all identify Lake Ontario by its correct name: Lake Ontario,” Crawford stated in his Sunday post. He emphasized, “As Ontarians, we will always stand up for our province, our identity and the places that define it.”
When Business Insider checked Metrolinx’s website on Sunday evening, the lake was still labeled Lake Ontario.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford echoed Crawford’s sentiments in a repost, affirming, “Make no mistake: Lake Ontario is and always will be Lake Ontario.”
A Google spokesperson clarified that website developers who embed Google Maps can select a region to localize map displays, specifying that “Lake Ontario” would appear when developers set their region to Canada.
Conversely, Trump supporters welcomed the Google Maps change on X, with one stating, “LMFAO! Donald Trump is now taking a victory lap after Google Maps CAVES, renames Lake Ontario to Lake America in the app. Send it to every Canadian! 🤣 It’s Lake America and we’re NEVER GOING BACK 🇺🇸.”
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