Our Maps are Under Assault

Posted by twpaterson on Nov 6, 2023 in Articles | 5 comments

You’ve seen it in the news: US President Trump has signed an executive order that, henceforth, Lake Ontario is to be known as Lake America.  With the stroke of the presidential pen, a 400-year-old geographical name bites the dust! In Trump’s dreams… A sign reading “Lake Ontario, Now and Always,” unveiled by Ontario Premier Doug Ford at Fifty Point Conservation Area, after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” near Grimsby, Ontario, Canada, August 29, 2026. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio But he isn’t the only one who’s tinkering with our maps. Much closer to home, right here in enlightened BC, various movements are afoot to launder or otherwise revise numerous geographical place names. We’ll look at some of these recent or impending alterations to our maps—and, perhaps, to our consciences—in next week’s BC Chronicles....