Executive order forces rename of Lake Ontario on Apple Maps
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America" and to update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) accordingly. The order is part of a broader effort linked to stalled US‑Canada trade negotiations.
Apple has reportedly received a direct request from the President. Burgum told Fox News that the president had approached the company personally, and the change is expected to appear on its Maps platform soon. Google has already complied, showing "Lake America" to US users while Canadian users still see the original name.
Not all map providers are following suit. MapQuest announced on Facebook that it would not change the name, offering instead a customisable tool allowing users to rename the lake on the fly.
The renaming has provoked a swift backlash in Canada. Hydro One apologized on X for mistakenly displaying the new name, blaming a third‑party mapping service. Other Ontario agencies, such as Hydro Ottawa and the Liquor Board of Ontario, also reported brief appearances of "Lake America" on their maps.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded publicly, unveiling a large sign on the lakeshore that reads "Lake Ontario Now and Always" in both English and French. Ford told host George Stephanopoulos that the lake will continue to be called Lake Ontario, emphasizing the deep heritage of the name.
The Great Lakes’ names—Ontario, Huron, Michigan, and Erie—originate from indigenous languages, underscoring the significance of this change beyond mere cartographic preference.
