Sorry, Mr. President. These scientists are still calling it 'Lake Ontario'

Jennifer Pignolet, The Detroit News on Aug 29, 2026

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The International Association for Great Lakes Research is standing by one of its longest colleagues — Lake Ontario.

The scientific organization, which promotes research on the Great Lakes, among other freshwater bodies of water, said it will continue to call Lake Ontario by its given name in spite of President Donald Trump's executive order to begin calling it "Lake America."

Trump's order on Aug. 27 came in the wake of tensions with Canada over trade and a few years after he similarly named the longstanding Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America" due to similar tensions.

But Trump's order can only dictate what the federal government calls the body of water.

The IAGLR said in a release it "will continue to use the name Lake Ontario in all its publications, conferences, communications, and scientific activities, regardless of the U.S. federal designation directed by the August 27 executive order to rename the lake."

"As an international scientific organization dedicated to advancing research and understanding of the Great Lakes, IAGLR's mandate depends on clear, consistent, and scientifically accurate communication about these shared waters," the organization said. "The Great Lakes cross political boundaries, and their study and stewardship require cooperation among scientists, institutions, governments, and communities on both sides of the border."

The name itself, the association pointed out, has a lengthy history. Longer than, well, the history of the U.S.

"It derives from the Wendat word Ontari’io, meaning 'the lake is beautiful' or 'the lake is big,'" IAGLR said. "The name has been used for more than 400 years, predating both Canada and the U.S. As Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated in response to the U.S. executive order, 'naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario—then, now and always.'"

Sticking by the name is also consistent with the organization's values of "respecting the historical and cultural knowledge associated with the Great Lakes, including Indigenous knowledge and languages," it said.

"As scientists, we rely on consistent nomenclature to maintain the integrity of long-term datasets and cross-border collaboration," IAGLR President Noel Urban said. "Lake Ontario is a shared waterbody with a name that predates both nations. We see no scientific or management justification for changing it."

"It is Lake Ontario — then, now, and always," the organization said.

In a reference to the trade war with Canada, Trump said on Aug. 25 that he was seriously considering renaming Lake Ontario because "we don’t expect to be doing much business with Ontario any longer.”

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