Google Maps removing ‘state’ label from parks and government buildings in Canada

Various Google logos are displayed on a Google search, Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Google Maps has started removing the “state” label from Canadian provincial parks and government buildings.

The change comes after Canadians started complaining about seeing the category “state park” appear for provincial parks on Google Maps in Canada.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened Canada with tariffs, mused about turning the country into the 51st state, and repeatedly referred to the prime minister as “Governor Trudeau” – comments that have stoked political backlash and a wave of Canadian patriotism.

“Nobody paid attention beforehand because no one ever thought something as seemingly mundane as a place name would ever become so politically charged,” Canadian technology analyst Carmi Levy told CTVNews.ca. “As a result of this controversy, the company has committed to improving its internal workings… but this is a reactive response to a crisis that could have been avoided.”

In a statement to CTVNews.ca, a Google spokesperson said the company is “actively working to update labels” for parks and government buildings in Canada “to avoid confusion.”

They explained that the vast majority of these locations had their existing labels for years, and the terms “provincial park” and “state park” have sometimes been used interchangeably in their backend system.

After dropping the word “state,” Google Maps location categories in Canada now include “government office,” “provincial park” or simply just “park.”

Levy says Google failed to create and maintain place categories that reflect the global nature of their maps app.

“As an American tech company, they wrongly assumed that there is no palpable difference between ‘provincial park’ and ‘state park,’” Levy said. “They also failed to appreciate that seeing a provincial park categorized as a state park might offend Canadian sensibilities and make us think American political will is washing across the border.”

Google also recently relabelled the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America” after the body of water was controversially renamed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Google Maps users in the U.S. now see the new name while users in Mexico continue to see “Gulf of Mexico.” Those in other countries see both.

Both Tripadvisor and Bing Maps, which is operated by Microsoft, have also listed Canadian provincial parks as “state” parks. The companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Apple Maps already uses the label “provincial park.”

“This alarming revelation has stirred many who have noticed, as it is an attack on our Canadian identity,” Google Maps user Rachel Deren previously told CTVNews.ca. “We are proud to be Canadian and will remain so despite attempts like this from our ever increasingly hostile neighbours to the south.”

Richard Lachman, an associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s media school, says these kinds of digital debates are getting more attention because of the political climate.

“This seems like a clash between software engineering and a growing awareness of the politics of our digital lives,” Lachman told CTVNews.ca. “It’s not that Canada was deliberately ignored – rather, these differences weren’t seen as important enough for U.S.-based companies to address before.”