When logging on to Barrie Transit website on Tuesday morning, the new, controversial, American name of a iconic Canadian body of water appeared in place of the original. Under the ‘Schedules & Maps’ section of the Barrie transit website, an interactive map on the left side of the screen led users to a larger map of Barrie transit routes when clicked. Upon zooming out, the name Lake America appeared in place of Lake Ontario. Although the name remains unchanged in Canada, on Thursday, United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order to have the lake renamed, amid a falling out of trade and tariff negotiations with Canada. On Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a sign in Grimsby that reads ‘Lake Ontario, now and always.’ On Sunday, Metrolinx, Hydro One and LCBO come under public security for maps on their websites displaying the same name. Also on Sunday, Google Maps said it had formally changed the name of the cross-border lake to Lake America for U.S. users, while those in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario. By Tuesday afternoon, city staff had corrected the name on the map. In a statement to CTV News, the city said staff were aware of the “mapping error.” “A label within the mapping layer of MyRide and Transit on Demand incorrectly displayed “Lake America” instead of Lake Ontario," a spokesperson from the City of Barrie said. “The issue originated from a third-party mapping source used by the vendors and was not created by the City of Barrie,” the city said. “City staff have worked with the affected vendors to have this corrected.” The city added the name on MyRide has been updated.
