Doug Ford erects sign to remind Donald Trump ‘it’s Lake Ontario now and forever’

Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a new sign in Winona, Ont. to remind Donald Trump “it’s Lake Ontario, now and forever.”

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Ford’s message comes less than a week after he told the U.S. president to “kiss my ass” in response to Trump threatening to impose 50 per cent tariff against Canadian automobiles and auto parts. Trump, in retaliation, called Ford a “flunky.”

In a 39-second video posted on X on Saturday, the Ontario premier said, “You may have heard that President Trump is trying to rename this lake all because he doesn’t like Ontario and Canada standing up for ourselves. But let’s be serious. Long before President Trump, this lake was called Lake Ontario.”

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Ford continued: “And long after President Trump is gone it will still be called Lake Ontario. But just in case President Trump or anyone else forgets, we have set up a sign to remind them, it’s Lake Ontario now and forever.”

On Thursday, the U.S. president signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario, bordered by New York State and Ontario, to “Lake America.” The change, Trump said, will come into effect “immediately.”

After the trade deal fell apart between the two countries on Aug. 21, tensions between Canada and the U.S. have been high. When asked on Thursday if he was trying to send Canada a message with the executive order, Trump said, “Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade, very sadly,” and that “we defend Canada for nothing; they don’t pay us.”

Trump’s order has drawn flak not just from Canadian politicians but also politicians down south.

“An acronym for the Great Lakes used to be HOMES. Thanks to Donald Trump, it’s now SHAME,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said in a post on X. The executive order was branded “sad and pathetic” by U.S. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer. And U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle said on X that “pretending to rename a lake is an attempted distraction from the President’s disastrous trade talks with Canada.”

Meanwhile, American mapping company MapQuest in a social media post announced “we’re not changing it,” and shared an image of Lake Ontario and surrounding communities. The company jokingly invited social media users to “name it whatever you want at your leisure,” in a follow-up post with some suggestions that include “Lake Double-Double, Lake Eh and Lake Oh Canada.”

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