‘I still call it Skydome, so good luck with that,’ Canadians unfazed after Trump signs order renaming Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’

The latest escalation in the Canada-U.S. trade war sees U.S. President Donald Trump sign an executive order directing the federal government to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America.” 

Trump signed the order Thursday at the White House, saying the name change would take effect immediately. The order directs U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to update the Geographic Names Information System, the federal database used to standardize geographic names for U.S. government purposes.

The move does not mean Canada or international organizations must adopt the new name. Lake Ontario is shared by the Canadian province of Ontario and the American state of New York. The U.S. government cannot require Canada or Canadian officials to recognize its preferred name for the lake.

The order comes just days after Trump first floated the idea on social media, saying the U.S. was “seriously considering” renaming the lake while criticizing Ontario amid the latest breakdown in Canada-U.S. trade negotiations.

Many believed that the threat was just that, while others, like Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, called on the U.S. leader to be more “neighbourly.”

“It’s not a very neighbourly thing to do. We’re supposed to love our neighbour as ourselves,” she told CBS News reporter Eroll Barnett, referring to Trump’s prior comments about renaming the lake.

The symbolic move is just the latest development in an increasingly strained relationship between the neighbouring countries. Earlier this week, the U.S. imposed additional tariffs on Canadian goods, while Canada announced retaliatory measures of its own.

The renaming also echoes Trump’s 2025 effort to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” another change that has been adopted for U.S. federal use but is not recognized internationally.

“If you think about it, we have a gulf, and we have a lake. Now, all we need is an ocean,” the president says in a video of him signing the executive order.

For Canadians, however, the lake remains Lake Ontario and people on both sides of the border have already taken to social media to share their thoughts.

“Donald Trump’s antics won’t weaken our resolve as Canadians,” Chow posted to X.

“I still call it Skydome, so good luck with that,” Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles posted to X. 

“This is so ridiculously juvenile and aptly represents what we are up against in trade “negotiations”. Canada is not dealing with someone who is sound of mind,” another X user shared. 

“Millions of Americans can’t afford groceries, healthcare, or housing—but thank God he finally solved the Lake Ontario crisis.”

“Canada will keep calling it Lake Ontario, so this is mainly a US-federal branding move in the middle of the trade row.”