Canadian rock band Blue Rodeo led thousands of fans in chanting "Lake Ontario" during a concert on Saturday, August 29, 2026, in Toronto. The act was a direct response to President Donald Trump's executive order to rename the Great Lake as "Lake America."
During their performance at the RBC Amphitheater, located on the Lake Ontario waterfront, lead singer Greg Keelor addressed the crowd before playing their 1993 song "Hasn't Hit Me Yet," which references the lake. Keelor encouraged the audience to sing the lake's name "with full authority and ownership," in light of the controversy surrounding its renaming amid an ongoing trade dispute between Canada and the U.S.
Footage shared on social media showed fans enthusiastically shouting "Lake Ontario" at the song's conclusion, while screens displayed a map with the lake's original name. Following the song, band member Jim Cuddy commented, "That was chilling, folks. We are who we are, right? F*** them."
The band's action follows other Canadian pushback against the renaming. Last week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a billboard along the Canadian shore stating, "Lake Ontario. Now and Always." Ford asserted that the lake's name predates and will outlast President Trump's attempt to change it.