A business owner in upstate New York says he has no plans drop “Ontario” from the name of the indoor playground and café he runs with his family. “Our business was named after Lake Ontario, and most of our equipment, attractions, and décor were designed with the lake, water, and nautical themes in mind,” Ontario Play & Café owner Pouya Seifzadeh told CTVNews.ca in an email Monday. “When the renaming was announced, we had a great laugh about unexpectedly finding ourselves in the middle of the story.” Amid trade tensions with Canada, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to rename the lake, which has been known as Lake Ontario for more than four centuries. The switch to “Lake America” has been met with firm condemnation from Canadians as well as Trump’s opponents in the U.S. The change also prompted a cheeky Instagram post from Seifzadeh’s business, which is located in Rochester, N.Y., the largest American city on the lake. “POV: You named your entire business after Lake Ontario… and then woke up today,” Ontario Play & Café posted on Friday. “Do you know how much new signs cost?” After more than a decade in business, thousands of children have celebrated their birthdays or frolicked at Ontario Play & Café. With a pirate ship play structure, water station and sand table, the 1,300-square-metre indoor playground leans heavily into its nautical theme. The “Ontario” name is also featured on everything from staff T-shirts to plastic cups. “The name has become part of our identity and our relationship with local families,” Seifzadeh explained. “Therefore, our official position regarding our own business is simple: Ontario Play & Café is not changing its name.” ‘A clear distraction’ Rochester’s city council has also flatly rejected the “Lake America” name. In a proclamation released on Friday, the nine-member council unanimously slammed the name change as being as “childish as it is futile” and vowed to continue referring to “Lake Ontario” in all official capacities. “This desperate and flaccid stunt by the President is a clear distraction from the issues that matter most to U.S. voters: the failing economy, housing, affordability and, lest we forget, President Trump’s unwanted and unwarranted war with Iran,” the proclamation read. “No serious person from the Native Tribes or U.S. and Canadian cities which share the Lake will ever call Lake Ontario ‘Lake America.’” The proclamation also criticized the “futile trade conflict with Canada – among our nation’s most important and dependable allies.” Following the “Lake America” name change, Seifzadeh said he remains focused on the “fun and humour” of the situation, joking that “nobody had consulted us.” “We will leave the politics, the reasons behind the decision, and predictions about whether the new name will stick to others,” Seifzadeh added. “We will continue concentrating on what we do best, which is creating a fun and enjoyable place for children and families.”
