Ontario premier slams Trump’s executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Seneca Nation calls for reversal

Updated on: August 29, 2026 / 4:50 PM EDT / CBS News

Ontario's head of government on Saturday erected a sign by Lake Ontario that reads "Lake Ontario – Now and Always" and criticized President Trump after he signed an executive order to rename the body of water that connects the Canadian province and the state of New York.

"I'm here on the shores of beautiful Lake Ontario, a crown jewel of our province and our country," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a short video message posted on social media.

"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," he said. "But let's be serious. Long before President Trump, this lake was called Lake Ontario, and long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario."

Ford added that the province put the huge blue sign to remind Mr. Trump and everyone that "it's Lake Ontario now and forever."

The new sign, which also says in French "Lac Ontario – Aujourd'hui et pour toujours," is located at Fifty Point Conservation Area, a park in Hamilton, Ontario.

Amid an ongoing trade…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/