Ontario’s largest electricity provider has apologised after its online outage map displayed Lake Ontario as “Lake America”, following a US-backed name change ordered by President Donald Trump.
Hydro One said on Sunday, August 30, that the lake had been “incorrectly labeled” on its map and blamed the error on a third-party mapping service. The company said it was working with its supplier to restore the name Lake Ontario. ([hydroone.com](https://www.hydroone.com/abouthydroone/Pages/default.aspx?utm_source=openai))
“The issue originates from a third-party mapping service. We are working with our vendor to correct the issue as quickly as possible and restore the proper geographic reference,” a Hydro One spokesperson said. “We regret the error and apologize for any confusion it has caused.” ([globalnews.ca](https://globalnews.ca/news/12041171/google-maps-lake-america-ontario-government-websites/?utm_source=openai))
The company’s outage map was among a number of Canadian websites and online services found to be using the disputed name. Map images on the websites of Ontario’s liquor retailer, LCBO, and the province’s public transport agency, Metrolinx, were also reported to show “Lake America”. ([globalnews.ca](https://globalnews.ca/news/12041171/google-maps-lake-america-ontario-government-websites/?utm_source=openai))
Google began displaying “Lake America” to users in the United States after Mr Trump signed an executive order on August 27 directing American federal agencies to use the new name. Google said people in Canada would continue to see Lake Ontario, while users elsewhere would see both names. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/7c5c9776d72cb8e8d782e05ec6e7332b?utm_source=openai))
The lake lies between Ontario and New York state, and its established name remains Lake Ontario in Canada. The appearance of the American designation on Canadian services appears to have resulted from those services relying on mapping data supplied through a US-based system rather than from any formal Canadian renaming.
