Business owners in upstate New York say they have no plans to drop “Ontario” from their names following Trump’s “Lake America” executive order.
“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 indoor playground and café, 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, a dual Canada-U.S. citizen, explained. “Therefore, our official position regarding our own business is simple: Ontario Play & Café is not changing its name.”
‘We’re always going to carry Lake Ontario merchandise’
Amanda Miller is the owner of both the Lake Ontario Gift Shop and Lake Ontario Realty in New York’s Jefferson County, which sits at the eastern end of the lake.
Citing brand recognition and associated costs, Miller says she has no intention to change the names of her businesses – but she isn’t against the idea of stocking “Lake America” souvenirs at her gift shop in the future
“We’re going to prepare for what consumers are requesting,” Miller told CTVNews.ca by phone on Tuesday. “But at the end of the day, we’re always going to carry Lake Ontario merchandise.”Located near the water in Rochester, the Lake Ontario Press screen printing shop also has no plans to change its name.
“The name change is just a silly waste of time,” owner Matt Saxon told CTVNews.ca by email on Monday. “My business will remain Lake Ontario Press.”
The business prominently sells “Lake Ontario” t-shirts and posters on its website.
“I will not be calling it anything other than Lake Ontario,” Saxon added. “We cannot move on from this quick enough.”
‘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.”
