Nova Scotia Power has resolved the issue with its outage map, ensuring Lake Ontario is now accurately labeled following a previous error that displayed the body of water as Lake America. This incident reflects a broader challenge faced by various organizations in Canada in correctly identifying Lake Ontario after a recent directive from U.S. President Donald Trump altered its name.
Numerous Canadian entities encountered similar naming discrepancies related to Lake Ontario, as noted by Jacqueline Foster, NS Power’s senior communications advisor. Initially, the outage map incorrectly labeled Lake Ontario due to reliance on a third-party mapping service, Foster explained.
Shortly after issuing the initial statement, NS Power confirmed that the discrepancy had been rectified. Notably, the utility’s map is integrated with Google services, which recently updated the lake’s name to Lake America in the United States to align with official government sources.
While Google Maps users in Canada continue to see the original name, individuals outside Canada and the U.S. will observe both names, according to Google’s announcement. Peter Johnson, an associate professor specializing in geography and environmental management at the University of Waterloo, highlighted the use of third-party mapping services that access data from Google servers, including recent name changes.
Johnson emphasized the routine process of scaling up small features to larger ones, clarifying that users in Nova Scotia may view the correct name for Lake Ontario on Google Maps due to location-specific settings. He suggested exploring alternative map APIs like ESRI’s, as evidenced by New Brunswick Power and Maritime Electric, where Lake Ontario is correctly labeled.
In resolving the naming discrepancy, NS Power’s prompt action aligns with efforts to ensure accurate geographical information for users.