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SAME FRAME
Google Maps displays "Lake America" instead of "Lake Ontario" for users in the United States as of August 30, 2026, following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on August 28. Lake Ontario is a shared lake between the US and Canada, bordered by the Canadian province of Ontario. According to Google, users in Canada continue to see "Lake Ontario", and the rest of the world sees both names. Ontario Premier Doug Ford had a giant sign installed on the Canadian shore on Saturday, August 29, reading "Lake Ontario: Now and Always".
The change remains disputed: several Ontario public sites inadvertently display "Lake America", while Google claims to limit the new name to American users.
MapQuest refuses to follow the decree and offers a tool to freely rename the lake; Apple Maps has not changed the name.
Some Ontario public sites (Hydro One, LCBO, GO Transit) display "Lake America" because they draw their data from Google Maps.
Precedent: the Gulf of Mexico was renamed "Gulf of America" by decree in January 2025, a move already contested by Mexico.
In the United States, Democrat Kathy Hochul rejects the new name; Republican Phil Scott calls it "petty and disappointing"
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