Several Canadian websites, including federal government services and Ontario agencies, briefly displayed “Lake America” instead of Lake Ontario on their maps Sunday, creating confusion just a day after Google Maps announced that it would adopt the new US geographic name for users in the United States. The mapping change follows an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump that directs the lake to be renamed Lake America in the US government’s geographic names database.Google said Saturday that its Maps service would reflect the change for users in the United States. But the new name appeared on several Canadian websites as well, despite Google saying the change would only affect US users.ALSO READ: Two Canadian brothers turned 612,000 plastic bottles into a house in Nova ScotiaWhy is Lake Ontario being called Lake America?Google said it changed the name because the U.S. government's geographic names database had formally renamed the lake following Trump's executive order. The company said the change was based on the official U.S. geographic naming system rather than a decision to impose the new name globally.However, some websites that use third-party mapping services began showing the US name on Sunday. The issue quickly drew attention in Canada, where Lake Ontario remains the lake's established Canadian name.ALSO READ: Oracle layoffs September 1Canadian websites showed “Lake America”Several Canadian and Ontario-related services appeared to be affected. Maps on Hydro One's outage website, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) store locator, the GO Transit station finder and a federal government housing and infrastructure map were among those that appeared to show the lake as Lake America, reports CBC News.Lake Ontario is one of the Great Lakes in North AmericaHydro One said it was aware of the problem and attributed it to an outside mapping provider. "We are aware that Lake Ontario is being incorrectly labeled on our outage map," a spokesperson told CBC News in an email, adding that Hydro One regrets the "error."ALSO READ: Quote of the Day by Brigitte Bardot: "I gave my beauty and my youth to men. I am going to give my wisdom and experience...""The issue originates from a third-party mapping service," the utility said. "We are working with our vendor to correct the issue as quickly as possible and restore the proper geographic reference."GO Transit map disabled after name appearsMetrolinx, the Ontario government agency responsible for GO Transit, also confirmed that it was reviewing the issue. "We are actively reviewing our websites to make sure they all identify Lake Ontario by its correct name: Lake Ontario," Metrolinx said."We are in the process of disabling the map function on the GO stations' page where this occurred." By late Sunday afternoon, the affected GO Transit map had been disabled.The LCBO's map had also been updated and once again displayed Lake Ontario.Google explains why the Canadian maps were affectedGoogle addressed the issue Sunday night, saying that developers who embed Google Maps on their own websites can choose a region to localize their maps. That regional setting can determine how geographic names appear to users.APIn the photo of a computer screen, a Google map showing Lake Ontario renamed as Lake America is seen Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)"'Lake Ontario' will show when developers have set their region to Canada," Google said. That explanation suggests that websites using embedded Google Maps may display different names depending on how their map settings have been configured.In other words, the appearance of “Lake America” on a Canadian website does not necessarily mean Canada has adopted the name.MapQuest says it will keep the name Lake OntarioNot every mapping service has followed Google's decision. MapQuest, a U.S.-based online mapping service, said on social media that it would not change the lake's name.Apple has not publicly commented on whether it plans to make a similar change to its mapping service. The differing approaches could mean that users searching for the lake on different mapping platforms may see different names.Doug Ford rejects the new nameOntario Premier Doug Ford has strongly pushed back against Trump's attempt to rename the lake. Appearing on ABC's This Week on Sunday, Ford said he did not believe the new name would become accepted in Canada."It was like something out of Saturday Night Live when [Trump] signed a document saying change it to Lake America," Ford said. "No one's going to call it Lake of America. It's been Lake Ontario for hundreds of years. It's going to continue being Lake Ontario."Ford also made the issue highly visible in Ontario on Saturday when he unveiled a large sign in Winona, Ont., a small community in the eastern part of Hamilton. The sign reads: "Lake Ontario Now and Always."Trump posts AI video featuring “Lake America”Trump has also continued to promote the new name. On Saturday, he posted an artificial-intelligence-generated video showing a Lake Ontario sign being replaced with one reading "Welcome to Lake America."APIn the photo of a phone screen, a Google map showing Lake Ontario renamed as Lake America is seen Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)The video also features Trump dancing to the Village People's YMCA. The move has added another layer to an already politically charged dispute between the two countries.Mark Carney says Canadians will keep calling it Lake OntarioPrime Minister Mark Carney responded to Trump's renaming effort on Thursday after the executive order was signed. Carney said Canadians know the lake by its original name and will continue to do so.He described it as "then, now and always." Lake Ontario is one of North America's five Great Lakes and sits between the Canadian province of Ontario and New York state.Ontario itself takes its name from the lake, making the geographic feature particularly significant to the province. The naming controversy comes as relations between Canada and the United States remain strained.Tensions escalated after trade talks between the two countries fell apart on August 21. Canada and the United States have accused each other of making last-minute changes to a proposed interim trade agreement.On Tuesday, the federal government announced up to $27 billion in retaliatory measures, scheduled to take effect Sept. 8, in response to new US tariffs.