Toronto’s CN Tower Displays Message ‘Lake Ontario Always’ Amid Name Change Controversy

The CN Tower in Toronto is featuring a bilingual message that reads “Lake Ontario Always” after President Donald Trump ordered the renaming of the lake to “Lake America.” A photo obtained by Newsweek shows this message displayed at the top of the tower, overlooking the waterfront. The words “Lac Ontario” and “pour toujours” accompany the English phrase, presented in large red letters with a blue illustration of the lake. Toronto’s skyline and shoreline are visible below.

Details regarding the installation date of the display and the rationale behind the wording remain unconfirmed. Newsweek has contacted CN Tower management for further insight but has yet to receive a response. The CN Tower has recently shared this message on its social-media platforms. On LinkedIn, a post celebrating a Royal Canadian Air Force flyby by the Snowbirds aerobatic team mentioned “Toronto and Lake Ontario (always),” using a similar bilingual approach.

The display coincides with the CN Tower’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Canada Lands Company, which owns the CN Tower, initiated these celebrations on January 21 with a C$21 million renovation of its Lower Observation Level. This refurbishment introduced interactive video walls featuring Canadian artists, a new glass floor, and indoor viewing spaces open year-round. An attraction called OverView offers views from 113 stories above Toronto, overlooking the Radome of the tower. These changes follow a 2018 renovation of the Main Observation Level, which added floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

The bilingual message provides a notable counterpoint to Trump’s efforts to rename the lake for U.S. federal purposes. On August 27, Trump signed Executive Order 14422, directing the Interior Department to use “Lake America” in federal geographic records. The order includes updating federal maps, contracts, and communications to reflect the change.

Trump’s directive emphasizes the lake as a significant American economic and historical resource, instructing the Interior Secretary to coordinate with the Board on Geographic Names. These guidelines focus on U.S. naming practices and do not imply Canadian adoption of this new name. Canadian resistance manifested in a separate display, with Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiling a sign near Grimsby reading “Lake Ontario. Now and Always.” This sign differs from the CN Tower’s window display.

In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the issue on August 27 via X, asserting that the lake’s traditional name would remain. “Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario—then, now and always,” he stated.

Lake Ontario, situated along the U.S.-Canada border between New York State and Ontario, is the smallest of North America’s five Great Lakes by surface area. It serves as a critical shipping channel, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence Seaway. Cities such as Toronto, Hamilton, and Rochester are located along its shores. The lake’s name has Indigenous roots, first recorded around 1641, with variations in translation like “sparkling water” and “vast body of water.” The province of Ontario shares its name with the lake.