Ontario premier hangs lakeside banner rejecting Trump's renaming of Lake Ontario

TORONTO, Canada — Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a large banner along the Lake Ontario shoreline protesting U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to rename the body of water "Lake America," escalating a cross-border dispute over the lake’s name. The banner, displayed near the city of Grimsby, read that the lake is "Lake Ontario. Now and forever." Ford wore a Canadian football jersey at the ceremony in a region home to roughly one-third of Canada’s population. Trump signed an order instructing federal agencies to refer to the lake as "Lake America" on the grounds that it lies within U.S. territory. Responding to the move, Ford linked the renaming effort to Ontario and Canada’s broader self-defense stance, saying the lake would keep the name Ontario long after Trump leaves office. Relations between the United States and Canada have remained strained for months, driven by tariffs, the failure of recent trade talks and mutual recriminations between the two governments. Canada has announced it will impose retaliatory tariffs on additional U.S. duties, with the countermeasures set to take effect next month.