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At 5:30 a.m., rowers from Toronto’s Hanlan Boat Club are already on the water, which they continue to call Lake Ontario.
The lake, which is central to their daily training, has taken on new significance as U.S. federal agencies have begun using the name “Lake America” following President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename it last month. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has since begun updating weather maps and online resources to reflect the change.
But in Canada, the new name hasn’t caught on. Instead, it has sparked a growing sense of pride among those who use the water and continue to call it Lake Ontario, a name that represents more than a label on a map.
For member and former Hanlan Boat Club president Janet Bolton, the lake has been a part of her life since she was young. This connection only deepened after she took up rowing in 2018. Amid the political battle and discourse around the name, Bolton has seen an unexpected upside.
“I think maybe this moment has reminded people that we’re actually on a lake,” said Bolton. “I hope that it has encouraged people to actually go down, see the lake, and take pride in it.”
She says the name change and the added attention have reminded her not only of the lake’s significance to the club but also of the name’s history.
The lake and its name have a deep-rooted history dating back to before contact that cannot be erased, said Dr. Jennifer Meness, an Anishinaabe Knowledge Keeper and assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). The Huron-Wendat named the lake “Ontarí’io,” which translates to “the lake is beautiful, the lake is big,” reflecting the relationship with the land and water.
“In the Anishinaabe language, we name things according to our relationship with them,” said Meness. “Taking the name away and naming it something else is erasing Indigenous history and understanding of what the relationship was with that body of water.”
That history has not gone unnoticed, especially by Torontonians and rowers alike. At Hanlan Boat Club, the name change has sparked ongoing conversations among athletes.
“As with many club members, it was a source of amusement, certainly a reminder of the ongoing political relations between Canada and the U.S.,” said Rhianne Whitaker, head coach of Masters Recreational Rowing at Hanlan Boat Club.
For the people who use the lake and call it home, however, the name remains Lake Ontario.
“At the end of the day, the water doesn’t notice that anything’s different,” said Whitaker. “It’s still Lake Ontario to us.”
Reporter, OTR, F2026.
