Vancouver business says Instagram vanished after Lake Ontario joke
Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
News
Named sources
Ongoing story
- Vancouver's Penthouse Nightclub posted a sign mocking U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order referring to Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”
- Owner Danny Filippone said Instagram removed the club's account shortly after the sign appeared, though he said the business would not take it down.
- A Kelowna entrepreneur also launched Lake Ontario-themed merchandise in response to the renaming order.
A Vancouver strip club turned Donald Trump's proposed name for Lake Ontario into a punchline, then said its Instagram account disappeared within hours.
The Penthouse Nightclub placed a marquee above its Seymour Street entrance reading, “CANT HANDLE A POOL BUT WANTS OUR LAKE?” The message referred to problems at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after a renovation project in Washington, D.C.
Obviously someone on the other side of the border doesn’t see our humour.
Club owner Danny Filippone told Global News that the sign was one of the business's first political jokes in some time. He said people walking along Seymour Street appeared to find it funny, adding, “Obviously someone on the other side of the border doesn’t see our humour.” Filippone said Instagram removed the account after the sign appeared online.
The sign’s not coming down.
He also recalled a previous message responding to Trump's suggestion that Canada could become the 51st U.S. state. The sign, “Forever neighbours, never neighbors”, was reported as hate speech on X, and the account took time to return. Filippone said the club had generally been cautious with its one-liners until Trump's executive order concerning Lake Ontario.
The club is not removing the latest message. “The sign’s not coming down,” Filippone said. Meanwhile, Kelowna entrepreneur Sean McHaffie launched a pro-Canada T-shirt store, It’s Lake Ontario, within 24 hours. He said the project aimed to rally Canadians around their identity.
We’re just going to enjoy the moment, kind of rally Canadians around being Canadian.
About this summary
Originally published by Global News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
More Stories
From Our Blog
What Gets Lost (and Found) When News Is Translated
The Critical Role of Diaspora Media in Global News
What Travellers Should Know About Countries with Restricted Press
A Digital Nomad's Guide to Following Local News
How the Same Story Looks Different in Different Countries
