Trump asks Apple to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America on Maps after executive order
President Donald Trump has requested Apple change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America on its Maps service, following an executive order that also prompted Google to make the change for U.S. users.
U.S. President Donald Trump has asked Apple to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America" on its Maps platform, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Burgum told Fox News that the president had contacted Apple directly and suggested the change could appear soon.
Google already updated its maps for U.S. users over the weekend, while Canadian users continue to see the traditional name. The renaming has drawn criticism in Canada; Hydro One, a Toronto-based utility, said a third-party mapping service caused the erroneous label and that it was working with the vendor to correct it.
The executive order, signed Thursday, directs the interior department to amend the Geographic Names Information System, the federal map database, to reflect the new name. Google confirmed it will display "Lake America" for U.S. users but retain "Lake Ontario" for Canadian users, and will show both names elsewhere.
Not all mapping services are complying. MapQuest announced it will not change the lake’s name and introduced a feature allowing users to assign any name they wish. After the announcement, MapQuest saw a surge in downloads on the Apple App Store in Canada.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded by unveiling a bilingual sign along the lakeshore reading "Lake Ontario Now and Always," reaffirming the province’s position on the matter.