Mapquest Defies Trump Order to Rename Lake Ontario

Mapping services have split over an executive order from Donald Trump renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America. Google updated its maps application to reflect the new name for users within the United States, citing official records from the U.S. Geographic Names Information System. However, the label remains Lake Ontario for users in Canada.

Mapquest refused to comply with the order, announcing on Facebook that it would not change the name. To support its stance, the company released a tool allowing users to download maps with custom names for the lake, resulting in hundreds of thousands of new downloads. While Apple Maps previously implemented a similar renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, it has maintained the traditional name for Lake Ontario.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the rebranding, warning that the friction could damage the integrated automobile industries of both nations amid existing trade disputes and tariffs. Ford installed a large shoreline billboard stating "Lake Ontario — Now and Always" to assert the lake's original name. Cartography experts noted that the president's naming authority applies only to federal agencies and does not extend to private providers or the Great Lakes, which are governed by a joint U.S.-Canada commission.