A lighthearted quip sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s labelling of Lake Ontario as “Lake America” has turned into a fundraiser aimed at protecting the lake itself.
Lloyd Rang, who lives in the municipality of Clarington, Ont., a short walk from Lake Ontario, describes it as peaceful and an important part of his community.
So when Trump first floated a new name for the lake amid trade tensions with Canada, Rang had a response.
“I thought about it, ‘Aw come on, like really? This again?’” he said in an interview Global News.
“Oh, my hydronyms are Lake and Ontario.”
A hydronym is the proper name for any body water. Prime Minister Mark Carney brought the term into the national conversation in an Aug. 27 statement responding to Trump’s executive order seeking to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America.”
Rang, a municipal councillor of Clarington who is not seeking re-election, thought the phrase could work on sweatshirts, T-shirts and hats.
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“I’ve only ever gotten laughs,” Rang said.
However, he also saw an opportunity to turn the attention surrounding Lake Ontario into something more meaningful.
“And I thought, how can I take this idea which I think might take off, and put it to some good use that might actually protect the lake?” he said.
Rang reached out to Swim Drink Fish, a Canadian non-profit focused on protecting water, and put forward a plan to donate $10 from the sale of each item.
The organization said the attention comes as Lake Ontario faces environmental pressures that extend far beyond the political debate surrounding its name.
“Aquatic invasive species, the impacts of climate change, water levels are a big issue of concern on Lake Ontario,” said Gregory Ford with Swim Drink Fish. “We see shoreline erosion. We see flooding.”
Money raised through the merchandise will support the organization’s restoration projects, water monitoring and advocacy work.
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Ford said the unusual political attention surrounding the lake has also created an opportunity to get more people thinking about its future.
“People are talking about Lake Ontario for the first time in a long time, in a really positive way, and I would like to see this keep going,” he said.
Merchandise attracting attention beyond Canada
Rang said the merchandise has been successful so far, with interest coming from well beyond the shores of Lake Ontario.
“What I understand from the distributor is, they’ve had calls from as far away as Australia, Asia, and calls from all over Canada,” he said. “They’re shipping orders to the United States, even.”
For Rang, the humour behind the merchandise is also a distinctly Canadian way of responding to a political dispute with the country’s closest geographical neighbour.
“The border is sometimes like a bit of a one-way mirror where we see them more clearly than they see us,” he said.
“The ability to laugh in the face of something that’s potentially quite serious is actually a sign of strength.”
Again, a new Canadian business feeding off Lake America… just admit it, Trump is making you money while you are making fun of him, ya hoser
the Canadian side should re name it Punjab lake
best, aren’t you the guy who luvs to blow every village idiot? heehaw guffaw aooooga yuckity yuck
Commenter below luvs to eat carnholes azz out
Anonymous. The village idiot. What did family and friends call you when you were younger? Numpty. Pillock. Div. Or Prat ?
Love it cause it makes rednecks explode.
Libs are all fetal alcohol born, their moms were crack ho’s
We cannot win. We import 3/4 of our food, and our natural resources are landlocked with tree hugging hippies between them and the pacific. The US is a superpower. And our businesses are one by one moving operations there to avoid tariffs. This is a war of attrition. We should have been negotiating with the Trump administration even before he took office, but instead our parliament was prorouged to keep the LPC alive, and our ministers then spent weeks campaigning in their ridings for an election that should have been called months earlier.
It’s bedtime, children…turn off your computers and go brush your teeth.
Bet this guy is light in the loafers like Trudeau and Carney.
Carney gets his healthcare in the USA. Isn’t that hilarious.
I change my mind. I am moving back to the USA. We can’t find a Doctor and my wife broke her hip and the wait list is 12-24 months. It can be done in a few weeks in the USA.
I see. I understand. Alright. Indeed. Aldnsksndbjxjandfnjsns82467282!’-*kdndjs
Canada sux. So glad I left and no not to the USA, but Costa Rica. Don’t miss the winter or the Liberals.
Liberal grifter trying to line his poket exploiting Elbows Up Candidate faux outrage.
Clownadians really going out of their way to show little Lake America bothers them.
I moved to Canada from the USA (Seattle) 5 years ago for a job. Never going back to the US. When my son was born down there, despite having a great Healthcare plan, it cost us over 2400.00 in co pays. Thats on top of our Healthcare premiums. The US is disintegrating and we are never going back.
Gangshew
September 12, 2026 at 6:22 pm
Good thing you don’t know how to read bud its clearly in there under Article 32.10 of the CUSMA agreement.
Keep those elbows up bud!
The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA / USMCA) includes specific rules governing how its member nations (Canada, the U.S., and Mexico) interact and form trade relationships with non-member countries. Key provisions detailing trade with third-party nations include: Non-Market Country FTA Clause (Article 32.10): Often referred to as the “China Clause,” this rule regulates free trade agreements (FTAs) with designated “non-market economies”. Notification Requirements: A member country must inform the other two members at least 3 months prior to starting formal trade negotiations with a non-market country. Text Review: No later than 30 days before signing an agreement, the negotiating country must provide the full draft text to the other two members for review. Termination Risk: If a member country signs an FTA with a non-market economy, the remaining two members have the right to terminate CUSMA on 6 months’ notice and convert CUSMA into a bilateral agreement between themselves.
@ Anonymous Nowhere in CUSMA does it say that Canada can’t trade with other countries except Mexico and the US, and vice versa. If that was the case, no North American store would carry European or Asian products. It only restricts the FREE trade that the CUSMA nations can do with non-CUSMA countries.
Also, please remember that Trump is the one who shat all over CUSMA. Canada and Mexico were abiding by the terms, until Trump decided randomly that it was the worst thing ever and has had it in for Canada ever since. Hey Donnie, you signed it bud!
Finally, it was Reagan and Bush, both Republicans – you know, Trump’s party – that worked the hardest to make NAFTA a reality on the US side. Then Trump said NAFTA sucked, so he signed CUSMA… which he later also said sucked. This is why Canada cannot trust any deal made with Trump: he doesn’t even live up to his OWN deals!
Anonymous, President of the Dumbell Academy from the U.K. loser
Anonymous the village idiot…you speaketh too much…..idiot
Jeff macaroni, you’re the brain dead POS, your mom shat you out
I have way more respect for Trump than Elbows Up Carney.
Jay Bronee
September 12, 2026 at 5:07 pm
Heck yea buddy! Elbows up! or is it as Carney said “Canada Makes America Great Again!”
Why not Lake Trump? I like it.
@Dexter Ross Hilarious how triggered MAGA-wannabe traitors are that Canadian patriots are standing up against Trump’s aggression.
There are nothing but rightwing fktards writing lame comments here. Non educated Creeps.
Pat A
September 12, 2026 at 4:23 pm
Heaven forbid Canada adheres to what is explicitly written in the CUSMA agreement between the 3 countries.
But hey reading the agreement which forbids free trade agreements with ANY countries outside of North America is a pretty hard task.
“In CUSMA (the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement), free trade with countries outside of North America is explicitly restricted by Article 32.10, which governs trade agreements with “non-market economies”
A few of these comments make sense; however the rest are stupid and demonstrate how little people understand. For example, what Carney said he would do a year or so back cannot be achieved because Trump’s trade war progressed to a trade deal which would result in financial harm to our auto industry. and more importantly our loss of sovereignty because the US wanted to tell our government what countries we would be allowed to trade with. Wake up and smell the trash, Trump is a bully and he is more interested in himself than his tax payer residents.
The very least of our worries should be the renaming of a lake that has its southern and eastern banks in the USA with the Canada US border running right down the middle of it.
What we should be worried about is just what Carney is not doing. He isn’t getting the deal he promised us over 13 months ago, he isn’t dealing with the deficit spending that got us in the dire financial state we find ourselves in after 11 years of Liberal incompetence. He is however getting cozy with the very country he himself told us was an imminent threat to our national security ….. communist China.
I moved from Canada to USA (Seattle) about 20 years ago. Absolutely no regrets at all and Canada has fallen so far since 2015, all self inflicted under poor governance.
Why are we more worried about the renaming of a lake when we have a tariff war happening. People are losing their jobs, companies are going broke, Canadians are struggling to put food on the table and pay bills, record people using food banks Canadians living on the street our economy and dollar is going down the drain and all the media is worried about is the fact that Trump renames his end of a lake. Canadians and the Canadian media need to get their priorities straight.
Absolutely hilarious how triggered Elbows Up Canadians are and that Trump/USA live rent free in their heads.
Good for him!
Some real FKtard commenters on here
It is obvious from the comments that Canadians have an inferiority complex with the USA.
Better lake American than Lake Muslim
I call my toilet bowl Lake America, I dropped a couple corn fed Republicans in there earlier today.
Thank you America for knowing your true place, and remember it will always be beneath us.
You’re welcome…..
I got my Lake American sweatshirt.
Where can you buy the items.
Jack O: Takes one to know one eh?
@Ben
Turn off the TV your brain is turning into mush.
I bet this guy uses pronouns.
@Den. Your comment was hilarious. You are an american lecturing us about fiscal discipline when you are 40 trillion in debt and your debt to GDP ratio is much either. Poilievre would have faced the same issues as Carney did, an obsteberous obstructionist US administration that has already broke the trade agreements it made with Asia and Europe. Maybe get busy losing the war in Iran. Say hi to ICE!
I’m afraid Lake of America was more than a lighthearted quip. It was a narcissist screwing with you but it will be the name in America at least. As a Canadian born and raised American resident, I thought Canadian voters were smarter than this. You don’t vote for the leader of the party that has presided over a precipitous economic slide the last ten years who wants to pick a fight with a narcissist, a fight you can never win. Add in the fact that your new enemy’s GDP is 13 times larger than yours, with a leader who is renowned for his ability to negotiate. Read ” The Art of the Deal.” Had you voted Conservative, the negotiations would be over and more favorable without the tough talk, just like it was with many countries throughout Europe and Asia. And you would have a government that would bring fiscal responsibility back to a country in dire need of it.
I am sure just an Elbows Up Liberal trying to line his own pocket.
@Wendy 825am. The US debt to GDP ratio is much higher than ours. Your infant mortality is higher, life expectancy lower. We rank much higher on world freedom and democracy indices. China is passing the US on many technological fronts. You are losing the war in Iran. Maybe focus on your own country.
@Wendy
“We need to start thinking about a new name for Canada since Canada is going backrupt and will have to beg the USA to purchase the remains.
America North is a simple easy name for Canadians to learn. It is a lot better than Goofyland.”
We already changed the name during Trudeau’s assault on Canada.
It is now “Chindia”
We just keep winning, and the paid Conservative bots on here just keep whining.
It’s a perfect combination.
This Majority government is brought to you by the incompetentance of the Conservative party of Canada.
As a true Carney supporter, we thank you.
Guess nobody realizes that only U.S citizens need to worry about the name changes. Good job Puppet/Drones for not realizing this. Smh. Unbelievable.
We need to start thinking about a new name for Canada since Canada is going backrupt and will have to beg the USA to purchase the remains.
America North is a simple easy name for Canadians to learn. It is a lot better than Goofyland.
Warning!
If you see blue hair and one of these t-shirts, do not make eye contact or engage in conversation.
This species may look approachable, however, if engaged in logical debate will become extremely volatile, and unhinged if disagreed with….call animal control and back up slowly.
“Beautiful women are waiting to say hello—join us today! 💋” ………………………………………..> fillboards.com/girls33
NO THANKS , MY POCKETS ARE EMPTY. KEEP VOTING LIBERAL
I would post but my fellow Canadian Patriot Jimbo Jones has once again posted an accurate duplicate of my opinion.
Thanks Jimbo,Canada Forever, Eh !!!
Abolish cunada forever, DAMN GOOD IDEA!
Out of all these comments there is only one that seams true the rest 😂😂😂😂
@Abolish Canada Forever! Is a typicql online paper tiger with infatuation about unrealistic power you stupid yt people poses. Cannot even win war against small middle eastern countries and have b@@lls to talk about world order, bunch of cracks
I hope Trump invades Canada EH before MIDTERMS… lets just give him his 51st state and anything he wants to rename, only the white people will pick up a weapon and stand a post, every immigrant will catch the first flight to their home country, then Russia can have their Alaska back and US/Russia can invade Greenland and change the global map once and for all!!
Its true
There is a sucker born every second
@Anonymous and all the other TDS-tarded Elbows Up-a-teers
I will never bend the knee to a systemically corrupt Canada that Trudeau and Carney defined as a systemically racist “post national state, with no core identity, no mainstream” ethics, borders, rule of law, Charter of Rights and Freedoms, or fiscal restraint.
That Canada has nothing to be patriotic about.
MAGAts infecting this thread with their usual low brow, brain-dead anti-Canadian comments!! Pathetic morons!
What a pathetic joke of a country Canada and its people have become.
Ref: “Lake Ontario, Elbows Up, and Canada is Not for Sale” etc. apparel;
I like the idea of TDS-tarded Elbows Up-a-teers wearing hats and t-shirts that broadcast their diminished mental capacity.
It gives normal people time to decide what course of action they want to adopt before engaging with them.