If U.S. President Donald Trump renames Lake Ontario as Lake America to spite the province amid a trade war, Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford says that New York state should be known as “the Province of New York.”
Trump threatened to rename the Great Lake in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday morning, saying that he doesn’t expect to conduct “much business with Ontario any longer.”
Hours later, Bradford shared a video on social media with a message for Trump: “Two can play that game.”
Bradford pointed to New York, which borders Lake Ontario with Toronto, and referenced the state’s history.
“From 1664 until 1776, it was actually called the Province of New York. It was a British colony and it was named after a duke,” Bradford said in the video, while sitting on a bench facing Lake Ontario. The colony was name in honour of James II of England, the Duke of York.
Should Bradford be elected in the upcoming municipal elections on Oct. 26, he joked that he will see to it that New York is known as “the Province of New York” to honour its colonial roots.
“I’m even happy to send him a plaque,” Bradford said. “When President Trump retires, and he can’t retire soon enough, he’ll be able to look out his window, way up in Trump Tower and see the great Province of New York.”
Jokes aside, Bradford says threatening to change the name of a shared body of water between two countries will not dampen Torontonians’ patriotism, who instead can fight back against the new round of tariffs by buying Canadian.
“We can’t change what Washington does, but we can change how Toronto shows up for its own,” he said.
Chris Alexander, who is also running for mayor in the upcoming municipal election, said Bradford is “taking light” of the ongoing trade war with the U.S.
“We are in an unprecedented trade war with the United States and look at what’s on offer. One candidate is playing name games with the American president,” Alexander said in an email to CTV News, in response to Bradford’s “Province of New York” promise.
“A trade war is no time for grand-standing. It’s a threat to jobs, to investment, to every household in this city.”
CTV News Toronto contacted the campaign of Olivia Chow for comment about Bradford’s proposal but has not yet heard back.
Speaking with reporters on Monday, Chow said that while new tariffs on a wide range of Canadian goods are “going to hurt,” she is confident that Toronto’s economy can withstand the impact.
“Toronto is incredibly resilient, even during this climate of uncertainty. In 2026, we are on track to create 16,000 jobs, new jobs. Whereas in America in a lot of the major cities the unemployment rate is etching up, our unemployment rate, I believe, is etching down,” she said.
