Ontario Premier Doug Ford revealed a new sign for Lake Ontario in Winona on Saturday, following comments from United States President Donald Trump who suggested changing the name to “Lake America” as tensions rise and a trade dispute looms.
It will stay Lake Ontario “now and forever,” Ford told reporters in the small lakeside town near Hamilton.
“President Trump can call it whatever he wants but I can tell you that the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario,” he said. “We’re resilient and we’re strong Canadians.”
The sign, which reads “Lake Ontario Now and Always,” comes as relations between Canada and the U. S. have soured since trade talks collapsed on Aug. 21. Both countries have accused one another of trying to change terms at the last minute.
Prime Minister Mark Carney previously mentioned that the agreement was no longer workable. The federal government announced retaliatory actions, set to begin on Sept. 8.
Trump first threatened to rename Lake Ontario during a growing exchange of insults with Ford, where they called each other names-Ford referred to Trump as a bully, while Trump claimed Ford was a “less charismatic, intelligent” version of his late brother, Rob Ford.
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Speaking with reporters Saturday, Ford said it will be Lake Ontario “now and forever.” (CBC)
This past Thursday, the president signed an executive order aimed at renaming it to “Lake America”.
Sitting next to a map showing “Lake America” over the lake, Trump stated that entitled Canada has been tough to negotiate with and repeated claims that they were taking advantage of the U. S.
“They want to be treated like a state, but they are not a state,” Trump remarked. “The Canadian officials have treated us very badly.”
“They are nasty people,” Trump added.
In Canada, this move caused disbelief among officials online.
Carney noted that Canadians will always refer to it as Lake Ontario “now and always,” while Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston commented saying “we’re into some real foolishness now.”
“It’s Lake Ontario, buddy,” Houston asserted.
This Saturday, Ford mentioned he’s received numerous calls from governors who assured him they’d continue calling it Lake Ontario.
“We’re always going to protect our sovereignty,” he stated. “We’ll never ever back down from a bully.”
Ontario is considered the “engine of Canada,” according to Ford’s remarks.
“We’re all united from coast to coast to coast,” he expressed. “We’ll do whatever it takes to protect the people of Ontario.”
Lake Ontario – one of the five Great Lakes – lies between Ontario and New York State. The province of Ontario got its name from this lake when it was established in 1867.
The lake’s name originates from the Huron Indigenous word “oniatarí: io,” which translates as “lake of shining waters.”
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