Blue Rodeo Leads Crowd to Reaffirm Lake Ontario Name Amid Trump Renaming Proposal
During a concert at Toronto's RBC Amphitheatre, Blue Rodeo encouraged fans to sing the historic name of Lake Ontario, countering a suggestion by U.S. President Donald Trump to rename the lake.
Blue Rodeo performed at Toronto’s RBC Amphitheatre on Saturday, prompting the audience to chant the traditional name of the nearby lake. Lead singer Greg Keelor introduced the 1993 song “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet,” noting that the lyrics reference “Lake Ontario” and inviting the crowd to sing “with full authority and ownership.”
The audience responded by loudly singing “Lake Ontario,” a reaction captured on a livestream and shared on social media. Screens behind the band displayed a map labeling the water body as Lake Ontario, despite a temporary change in some U.S. map services.
After the song, Keelor thanked the crowd, and guitarist Jim Cuddy added a brief comment. The band later posted fan-shot videos of the sing-along on its Instagram stories.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Justin Trudeau (note: the original text mistakenly named Mark Carney) both issued statements reaffirming the lake’s historic name, rejecting the president’s suggestion to rename it “Lake America.”
President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video on his social platform, depicting a sign change to “Lake America,” and later used the platform to criticize Canadian trade policies and tariffs.