Those using the map components on the websites for Crown corporations like SaskPower and SGI lately may have noticed Lake Ontario sporting an alternative title. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 27 to change the lake’s name as part of the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and Canada. In a statement to CTV News, SGI explained the maps on its website are plug-in applications from Google, adding that it cannot change the labelling used within Google Maps. According to an Aug. 29 blog post from Google, the label users see is dependent on their personal browser settings — as the name change should only affect users located in the United States. This means those in Canada with the matching browser settings should continue seeing Lake Ontario, while users living outside both Canada and the U.S. should see both terms. For Canadian users, the two-term setting is reflected in the case of the Gulf of Mexico and “Gulf of America.” “If someone in Canada is seeing Lake America, it’s because their browser is configured to show American Google applications,” SGI added in its statement. Google updated its terminology after the U.S.’s Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) changed the lake’s name in its database. Google Maps bases its labels and terminology on a variety of government sources, GNIS being the source for the U.S. On Monday, U.S. officials confirmed Trump had contacted Apple about the name change, with U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum telling the Fox Business network the lake’s name may change on Apple maps very soon. With files from The Canadian Press
