Ford: World will always call it Lake Ontario, despite Trump's renaming

Ontario Premier Doug Ford directly challenged U.S. President Donald Trump's attempt to rename Lake Ontario, asserting that the international community will always recognize it by its established name. Ford unveiled a new sign in Winona, Ontario, declaring, "President Trump can call it whatever he wants, but I can tell you the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario."

The U.S. president had issued an executive order earlier in the week directing U.S. government bodies to refer to the Great Lake as "Lake America." This action followed recent trade disputes between the two countries. Trump claimed the U.S. holds significant responsibility for the lake's security, economic activity, and environmental stewardship, citing its claim to most of the lake's volume.

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President Trump can call it whatever he wants, but I can tell you the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario.

Ford emphasized Canada's strong stance on sovereignty, stating, "We're resilient and we're strong Canadians and we're always going to protect our sovereignty, always and we’ll never, ever back down." He noted that numerous governors had contacted him, affirming their continued use of the name Lake Ontario.

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We're resilient and we're strong Canadians and we're always going to protect our sovereignty, always and we’ll never, ever back down.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also responded to the renaming, reaffirming that the name Lake Ontario would remain "now and always." He highlighted the name's historical significance, originating from the Wendat word "Ontari’io," meaning "the lake is beautiful, the lake is big."

Some U.S. politicians and entities, including MapQuest, publicly criticized or ridiculed Trump's renaming effort. In response, some U.S. governors engaged in symbolic gestures, such as Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers decreeing "Lake Wisconsin" on a napkin and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker renaming Trump Tower Chicago to "Natalie Tower."

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The name of Lake Ontario would remain “now and always.”