Some Canadian websites, including those representing the federal government, showcased maps featuring Lake Ontario renamed as Lake America on Sunday. This change came after Google Maps adjusted the name to comply with a directive from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Google announced on Saturday via its corporate website that it modified the name due to the U.S. government’s official renaming of the lake in its geographic names database. While Google mentioned that the alteration would impact only U.S. users, several Ontario and Canadian websites displayed Lake America on their maps.
Entities such as Hydro One’s outage map, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) store locator, GO Transit’s station finder, and the federal government’s housing and infrastructure map were among those showing Lake America. Hydro One acknowledged the error, attributing it to a third-party mapping service and expressing regret for the mistake.
Metrolinx, an Ontario government agency overseeing GO Transit, acknowledged the issue and stated they are reviewing their websites to ensure accurate labeling of Lake Ontario. By late Sunday afternoon, the problematic GO Transit map had been disabled, and the LCBO map reverted to displaying Lake Ontario.
Contrary to Google’s adjustment, MapQuest, a U.S.-based online mapping service, declared that it would retain Lake Ontario’s name. Meanwhile, Apple refrained from public statements on the matter.
Tech analyst Carmi Levy explained that Canadian websites like Hydro One and LCBO, although Canadian-owned, likely utilize Google’s application programming interface (API) for their maps. This caused the default switch to Lake America due to APIs not being location-aware.
Levy suggested that website developers can resolve this issue by selecting Canada as the region to localize their maps. However, until this adjustment is widely implemented, disparities in displaying the lake’s name may persist.
Google Maps tailors results based on user locations, ensuring that users within Canada view Lake Ontario despite inputting Lake America. Nevertheless, Google’s search index now recognizes Lake America globally, displaying it alongside Lake Ontario in brackets for searches outside North America.
The episode underscores the absence of Canadian alternatives to Google Maps or mapping APIs, leaving a significant portion of online activities reliant on American platforms. Ontario’s Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement, Stephen Crawford, acknowledged the situation and affirmed ongoing website reviews to accurately identify Lake Ontario.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticized the name change, asserting that Lake Ontario’s historical name would endure. Trump’s attempt to rename the lake sparked tensions between the two countries amid escalating trade disputes.
The executive orders by Trump, including the renaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America, have stirred controversies, emphasizing the challenges of maintaining digital sovereignty and national identity in an increasingly interconnected world.