Google Maps updates name of Lake Ontario to Lake America following US executive order

On August 30, 2026, Google Maps updated its service for United States-based users to display Lake Ontario as "Lake America." This change follows an executive order signed on Thursday by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is currently engaged in a trade dispute with Canada. White House communications director Steven Cheung publicly welcomed the update on the X platform, confirming the change.

The renaming, which applies only to U.S. users, lacks international recognition and has faced sharp criticism from Canadian officials. Doug Ford, the Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario, condemned the decision during an interview with ABC News, labeling it as "completely absurd" and stating that the public would not adopt the new name. Google explained in a blog post that the adjustment was made to comply with the official U.S. designation for the water body located on the border between the two countries.

Despite the update on the digital platform, the change does not impact the official status of the lake internationally. Authorities in Canada have rejected the move, highlighting continued tensions between the two nations regarding regional sovereignty and trade policy.