Ontario premier unveils 'Lake Ontario' sign in Winona as tensions with U.S. escalate

Ontario premier unveils 'Lake Ontario' sign in Winona as tensions with U.S. escalate

Trade negotiations collapsed this month, with both countries claiming the other sought 11th-hour changes

Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a Lake Ontario sign in Winona Saturday, after United States President Donald Trump purported to change the name to "Lake America" amid escalating tensions and a brewing trade war.

It will remain Lake Ontario "now and forever," Ford told reporters Saturday in the small lakeside community on the outskirts of 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 tensions between Canada and the U.S. have escalated since trade negotiations fell apart on Aug. 21. The two allies have accused each other of seeking 11th-hour changes.

Prime Minister Mark Carney previously said the agreement became untenable. The federal government unveiled retaliatory measures, set to start on Sept. 8.

Trump first threatened to rename Lake Ontario during an escalating war of words with Ford. The two exchanged insults, with the premier calling the president a bully, among other things, and Trump saying the premier was a "less charismatic, intelligent" version of his late brother, Rob Ford.

On Thursday, the president signed an executive order to change the name to "Lake America".

Sitting near a map with the name "Lake America" over the body of water, Trump said "entitled" Canada has been difficult to deal with and repeated claims the country was ripping off the U.S.

"They want to be treated like a state, but they are not a state," Trump said. "The Canadian officials have treated us very badly."

"They are nasty people," Trump added.

In Canada, the move prompted incredulity by officials on social media.

Carney said Canadians will call the body of water Lake Ontario "now and always," while Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said "we're into some real foolishness now."

"It's Lake Ontario, buddy," Houston said.

On Saturday, Ford said he's received numerous calls from governors who have told him they'll continue to call the body of water Lake Ontario.

"We're always going to protect our sovereignty," he said. "We'll never ever back down from a bully."

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Ontario is the "engine of Canada," Ford added.

"We're all united from coast to coast to coast," he said. "We'll do whatever it takes to protect the people of Ontario."

Lake Ontario — one of the five Great Lakes — is located between Ontario and New York. The province of Ontario, founded in 1867, took its name from the lake.

The lake's name comes from the Huron Indigenous people's word "oniatarí:io," which means "lake of shining waters."

With files from The Canadian Press