Canadian firms sell Lake Ontario merchandise after Trump renames lake Lake America After President Donald Trump renamed Lake Ontario as Lake America for U.S. agencies, Canadian businesses created Lake Ontario-themed products that have become bestsellers and sold out quickly. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America for U.S. government agencies. The move, made in late August, prompted Canadian businesses to respond with Lake Ontario-themed merchandise. One month after the renaming, companies say interest in Lake Ontario products remains high. Abigail Bimman reported on the reaction. Peace by Chocolate, based in Antigonish, N.S. , created the Lake Ontario bar within a day of Trump's order.Peace by Chocolate Creates Lake Ontario BarThe bar weighs 92 grams and contains milk chocolate and maple cream, made partially with Ontario ingredients. It is packaged in a Canadian flag wrapper with the lake's name and information about its Indigenous origins. CEO Tareq Hadhad said the company felt it could not ignore the antagonism. We wanted to be there for our country, no matter how odd that it sounded, he said.If you showed me a Lake Ontario chocolate bar, even a year ago, I would say, why would we even create one because we have so many great lakes all across Canada? But it meant a big deal, Hadhad said. The treat quickly became one of the company's five bestselling bars, generating interest from coast to coast and a flurry of emails from the United States.Peace by Chocolate has paused sales south of the border because of tariffs on exports to the United States. Other Canadian companies are also selling Lake Ontario products, including candles, caps and cottage decor. Teresa Paul, owner of Hides in Hand in Rockwood, Ont. , said her Lake Ontario coin purses are a pretty hot commodity.Lake Ontario Merchandise Gains PopularityCustomers buy them from a store in Erin, Ont. , or at craft fairs, often picking up extra for family members. People are like, Yep, I want it. Yep, I'll take two, Paul said.They love them. The zippered pouches come in red or blue leather and are embroidered with the outline of Lake Ontario and its name. They are made with Canadian components and embroidered in Ontario. Paul designed the pouch quickly after Trump's renaming rubbed me the wrong way, she said.Because I'm a leather designer, my way of responding was to actually make something, she said. I thought why not put Lake Ontario right there on something that we're making here in Ontario? she said. It's that little expression of Lake Ontario and Canadian pride. Nothing angry, nothing over political.Hides in Hand Designs Leather PouchesJust something practical, something that meant home to me, Paul said. Province of Canada, a Toronto-based apparel company, was initially unsure about wading into the moment. Its collections already included Le Canadien T-shirts, Made in Canada sweatshirts and I was Canadian before it was cool crop tops.But it really became, I think, a movement and we felt that as a Canadian brand who makes their products in Canada, we really did need to become part of the conversation in some way, said product and operations manager Alli Piccininni. The company had sold prints of the Great Lakes for a few years but decided that was not enough. It designed a grey fleece sweatshirt with Lake Ontario in navy and offered it through preorder.Province of Canada Sells Out SweaterFifteen per cent of each purchase goes to Indspire, an Indigenous education charity. The sweater sold out really, really quickly, Piccininni said. Another round was made and availability has dwindled to just a few sizes. The company prepared a third batch shipping in December and a fourth featuring a new colourway scheduled to reach buyers before Christmas.Even as Province of Canada releases other items, the Lake Ontario sweater remains among its most popular releases. Piccininni said she could not be happier with the reception. When customers get behind us and support us ... it's a really good feeling, she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2026.