Rochester and Niagara businesses, officials defy Trump's Lake Ontario renaming Businesses and officials in Rochester, N.Y., and Ontario's Niagara region are rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. Google Maps now shows the new name to U.S. users while Canadian business owners stage name protests of their own. Google Maps now shows Lake America to users in the United States after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week renaming Lake Ontario. The move comes amid escalating tensions and a brewing trade war, and it has sparked pushback on both sides of the border. In Niagara Falls, Ont. , the owners of Carson's Pizzeria renamed American dishes after Canadian places. Richard Carpenter and Jonathon Olszewsky turned their Buffalo chicken sandwich into an 'Ontario wing sauce chicken sandwich.' Their Chicago Deep Dish became 'Thorold-style Deep Dish Pizza. ' 'If you can rename whatever you want for your country, well then, we can do the same thing over here,' Carpenter said. Olszewsky said the Facebook post announcing their 'little name change' drew supportive reactions from across Canada. Carpenter said the menu change is temporary and humour-based.In Rochester, N.Y. , the city council issued a proclamation on Friday to keep the name Lake Ontario and defy the executive order. The proclamation called the renaming a 'stunt' and a distraction from housing and economic issues.'To change the identity of this lake, after centuries of being known by a single name, is as childish as it is futile,' the proclamation said. Council member Meléndez said the name 'Lake America' disrespects people who know Lake Ontario and its Indigenous history.'It's something we shouldn't be picking fights over at this point, and it was important for us to stand up and say something,' he said on Monday. He said the water is critical to livelihoods and Canada is Rochester's best neighbour, and he hopes the bond across the water will outlast one president's decisions. White House spokesperson Allison Schuster defended the change.'As the president said, the majority of the great lake's volume sits in United States territory,' she said in an email. She said the lake's new name reflects its heritage and place in the U.S. The lake's name comes from an Iroquois word meaning 'beautiful lake' or 'sparkling water.' French explorers used names such as Lac Frontenac, but Lake Ontario became the common name on maps nearly 400 years ago. Canadians have condemned the change as an attack on Indigenous culture and an imposition of American nationalism on a lake that straddles the border. Google updated its map on Saturday to show U.S. users the name Lake America. The company said Canadian users still see Lake Ontario, while users in other countries see both names.Some Canadian users have reported seeing the new name too. Google said the update 'follows our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country.' Leandro DaSilva, who launched Ontario Boat Charters in Rochester six years ago, said he worries the peaceful water his business relies on is now tied to political controversy. 'This is something I have to think about, and I don't want to spend my energy to change things,' he said. 'Now, it's really just a waste of time.' DaSilva, 49, has boated on the lake since he was 13 and said the water was a place to leave the stress of life onshore. He named his business after the lake to share that love. Regardless of what any map says, he said he will always call it Lake Ontario.'Any time you bring politics into anything, it's going to divide people, and this new name will divide people more,' he said. Lake Ontario has long been a connector. Rochester sits 150 kilometres southeast of Toronto, and Toronto's skyline is visible across the water from Fort Niagara State Park in Youngstown, N.Y. A Rochester-Toronto ferry route was first floated in 1979 and launched in May 2004 after Rochester bought a US$32-million boat.A month after operations began, two Globe reporters raced from Toronto to Rochester to see whether travel by water or land was faster; the reporter driving a car won handily. The ferry lost US$10-million in its first 10 months and shut down in 2006. An archivist for the Rochester Historical Society said the ferry brought the two cities closer and showed cross-border co-operation.The archivist also said losing it illustrated Rochester's shift toward the nearly 200-year-old Erie Canal, which runs from Lake Erie to Albany.'Trump is trying to add one more thing to his legacy,' he said. 'The guy is an egomaniac. ' In Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. , Katherine McMichael, owner of Lady Lou Collective, said 'it is Lake Ontario and it won't change.' McMichael, who sells Canadian-made art and gifts, said it is 'quite silly that somebody thinks they can change the name of the lake, especially when it was made way beyond any of us were ever here. ' She keeps a sign in her shop door thanking customers for supporting Canadian businesses and Canadian-made goods. McMichael said the impact on her business pales compared to other industries, particularly the automotive sector.She no longer ships orders to the U.S. for fear that American customers would be hit with duties.'I used to say that we're two countries that support each other. We're all just trying to make ends meet,' she said. Across the street, Shauna Dickson, owner of mom-and-pop shop Irish Design, uses Lake Ontario as a landmark to help customers and overseas businesses find her boutique. Dickson, who was born and raised in Niagara-on-the-Lake, said the renaming 'felt really close to home.' Dickson has noticed a shift in interactions with American visitors, with some apologizing when the conversation turns to politics. 'It feels like we're trying to comfort people a lot to make sure they know they're welcome here,' she said. 'We're not blanketing you with one bully. ' In Rochester, Matt Saxon, owner of screen-printing company Lake Ontario Press, initially joked with customers that he would have to change his company's name.Then customers flooded him with requests for Lake Ontario-branded clothing. On Saturday he held a pop-up event where people lined up an hour before opening.'So many people wanted it,' he said. 'There was no way I couldn't do it. ' He is planning another event as demand continues, prompted in part by the new name appearing online. The name Ontario extends well beyond the lake: the town of Ontario, N.Y., is about 30 kilometres east of Rochester, and beaches, hiking trails and businesses throughout the region use the name. Political leaders in Canada have said the lake's name is not changing despite 'Trump's antics.' Ontario's premier has unveiled a Lake Ontario sign in Hamilton as tensions escalate. Despite the dispute, the Great Lakes remain a symbol of U.S.-Canada collaboration. For now, many residents on both shores are making clear that they will keep calling it Lake Ontario, no matter what maps or executive orders say.