Just 24 hours after Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a sign proclaiming Lake Ontario is “now and forever,” the province launched a review after some agency websites displayed “Lake America” in their mapping applications.

Stephen Crawford, minister of public and business service delivery and procurement, said on X that some of the websites pull map data directly from Google Maps.

“Following recent changes by Google, we’re actively reviewing our websites to make sure they all identify Lake Ontario by its correct name: Lake Ontario,” Crawford wrote.

The post came after people on social media noticed that maps on sites including Hydro One, Metrolinx, Infrastructure Ontario and the LCBO all displayed “Lake America.”

The new name came after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order late this week amid the ongoing trade war between Canada and the U.S., as well as harsh words by Ford after trade talks fell apart last weekend.

Trump’s executive order says the U.S. lays claim to most of the “volume” of Lake Ontario and is mostly responsible for its security, economic activity and environmental stewardship.

This weekend, Google Maps said in a post on its website that it updates its maps to reflect name changes from official government sources, which includes the U.S. Geographic Names Information Service (GNIS). The GNIS formally changed Lake Ontario to “Lake America” in recent days.

As a result, Google said people using Maps in the U.S. will now see “Lake America,” while those in Canada will see Lake Ontario. Those living or visiting countries outside Canada and the U.S. will see a combination, with Lake Ontario listed but Lake America in parentheses.

But some people on social media noticed when searching the LCBO’s store locator, Hydro One’s outage map and Infrastructure Ontario’s list of properties that each displayed “Lake America.” Global News has confirmed these maps show the name, as does the store locator for Loblaws.

In a statement, Hydro One said it is aware of Lake Ontario being “incorrectly labeled on our outage map.”

“The issue originates from a third-party mapping service. We are working with our vendor to correct the issue as quickly as possible and restore the proper geographic reference. We regret the error and apologize for any confusion it has caused,” a spokesperson for Hydro One said in an email.

Global News has also contacted the LCBO for comment.

Google Maps is listed as the copyright holder and data provider for each map on these websites.

It’s not the first time Trump has changed the name of a location, doing so with the Gulf of Mexico early in his presidency. It was renamed the Gulf of America, with Google, Apple and Microsoft also renaming it on their maps.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Police say a woman has died after she was struck by a light rail train in Waterloo, Ont.

Waterloo regional police say the fatal collision happened Saturday night in the area of Dutton Drive in the north end of the city.

There, police say they found a pedestrian who had been hit by an ION train.

Police say they attempted life-saving measures but the woman died at the scene.

The force says it investigated the crash and no charges have been laid.

The ION light rail service runs for 19 stops connecting the north end of Waterloo and the south end of Kitchener.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Unionized General Motors workers are expected to wrap up voting on a new tentative agreement Sunday.

Unifor and General Motors agreed on tentative labour contracts for more than 4,600 autoworkers in Ontario on Aug. 22.

Union members have been voting on whether to ratify the tentative agreements over the weekend.

Unifor National President Lana Payne previously said the agreements deliver strong wage and benefit increases for those working in GM’s Oshawa assembly plant, the CAMI facility in Ingersoll, as well as operations in St. Catharines and Woodstock.

Talks between the union and automaker started earlier this month after Unifor reached an agreement with Ford.

That agreement included three per cent annual pay increases and a renewal of a no-closure agreement.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

New Brunswick has issued an equine health advisory due to potential exposure to a virus at a horse show in Sussex earlier this month.

The province’s chief veterinary officer issued the warning to exhibitors and horse owners and trainers who attended the 4-H Round Up Show at the King’s County Fair Draft Horse Show on Tuesday.

Nicole Wanamaker says a horse that participated in the show had been in the same boarding facility as another horse that recently tested positive for Equine Herpesvirus Type 1.

The virus, known as EHV-1, is highly contagious and can cause respiratory disease, neurological disease and pregnancy loss in horses.

Wanamaker says the horse that tested positive for EHV-1 was not present at the show, but there remains a risk of possible exposure.

The veterinarian is urging attendees to isolate horses that were at the show from those who were not for 14 to 21 days, and monitor their animal closely for signs of fever, lethargy or reduced appetite.

Wanamaker says horse owners should contact a veterinarian immediately if their horse develops a fever higher than 38.9 degrees Celsius or exhibits other signs of illness.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Affordability and the economy took the spotlight on Sunday as Quebec’s election campaign entered its fourth day, with party leaders unveiling their visions to ease financial pressures while grappling with the province’s budgetary constraints.

The Quebec Liberal Party and Québec solidaire promised to make housing more affordable, while the Conservatives promised more tax cuts and the Coalition Avenir Québec released its full fiscal plan. Meanwhile, the Parti Québécois emphasized protecting the French language by proposing stricter immigration policies.

According to Quebec’s auditor general, the next government will face significant budgetary constraints. A pre-election report published earlier this month highlighted that Quebec’s multi-billion dollar deficit must be eliminated by 2029-2030 under the balanced-budget law, leaving little room for ambitious campaign promises.

The Coalition Avenir Québec called on the other parties Sunday to follow its lead and release their own fiscal blueprints.

According to party leader Christine Fréchette and Finance Minister Eric Girard, a third Coalition Avenir Québec government would spend an additional $9.7 billion over five years to fulfil its promises, many of which have yet to be announced.

Quebec would then need to generate $6 billion in revenue to reach a balanced budget, they said. Fréchette said she would not lower taxes until the budget is balanced.

Fréchette’s party is counting on “expected revenues” from the federal government, without any formal commitment from Ottawa.

“We’re focused on balancing the budget, and we’re also facing an economic and financial climate that’s leading us into rougher waters than usual,” she said.

Housing affordability was a focal point of Sunday’s campaign announcements, with the Quebec Liberal Party and Québec solidaire both unveiling plans to address rising costs.

Liberal leader Charles Milliard focused on making life more affordable for seniors, proposing to cap rents and service fees in privately managed seniors’ homes.

“A senior citizen on public housing assistance should never have to leave their home because of an exorbitant rent increase,” he said.

Québec solidaire promised 50,000 new units of social housing and a rent cap for all tenants, saying rents should not outpace inflation. Parliamentary leader Ruba Ghazal said the average rent prices skyrocketed since the Coalition Avenir Québec first took power in 2018.

Both Milliard and Ghazal took jabs at Fréchette, who claimed on Saturday that the housing crisis has been “solved” in “many regions” of Quebec with increasing vacancy rates.

“Just because homes are empty doesn’t mean people can afford them,” Ghazal told reporters on Sunday.

Conservative leader Éric Duhaime emphasized tackling the cost of living through tax reductions. On Sunday, Duhaime announced that his government would abolish the sales tax on used goods.

The Conservatives have also promised what they describe as “a historic reduction in the tax burden on individuals” and to reduce government spending by $47 billion.

PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon continued to focus on immigration, linking it to the decline of the French language in Quebec, which prompted renewed criticism from his rivals who accuse him of using immigrants as scapegoats.

St-Pierre Plamondon told journalists Quebec is facing a “linguistic emergency” and a “historic decline in the French language,” which he considers to be central to Quebecois identity.

He proposed expanding French-language laws to junior colleges, limiting access to English-language schools for francophones and immigrants.

The PQ leader also suggested requiring children of temporary migrants to attend French schools and tightening French-language requirements for work permits, with exceptions for the agricultural sector. Additionally, the PQ would prioritize immigrants proficient in French.

“The CAQ has undermined control over our immigration system,” said St-Pierre Plamondon. “We will significantly lower immigration quotas, which … is also essential if we are to tackle the historic decline in the use of French in Quebec.”

Immigration has been a central theme of the PQ’s campaign so far, with St-Pierre Plamondon arguing that current immigration levels exceed Quebec’s capacity to provide adequate housing and public services.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Premier Danielle Smith is set to speak in Calgary on Sunday afternoon at an event marking Alberta Day.

Alberta officially became a Canadian province on Sept. 1, 1905, and various festivities were planned this weekend ahead of the province’s birthday on Tuesday.

Smith’s speech at Calgary’s Heritage Park is set to come as the province’s separation referendum nears.

The premier has called a vote for Oct. 19 that will ask Albertans whether the province should remain in Canada or hold a second, binding referendum on leaving the country.

The premier has said she’s voting for the province to stay, and that hundreds of thousands of Albertans signed petitions in support of either separation or staying in Confederation.

She said their voices deserve to be heard.

Petitioners on both sides have pushed back against Smith’s approach.

Separatist leader Jeffrey Rath has accused Smith of betraying separatist UCP members, misleading Albertans and undermining the province’s interests in Ottawa.

Critics, pointing to long-standing opinion polls indicating massive support for Alberta staying in Canada, accuse Smith of self-serving politics by calling the vote merely to placate restive separatist hardliners in her United Conservative Party.

On Saturday, Alberta separatists converged outside the legislature in Edmonton, with many saying Alberta would be better off without Canada after having joined Confederation 121 years ago.

Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi held a “Vote for Canada” rally in Calgary, also on Saturday. During that rally, he called for the fall referendum to be put off amid the escalating trade war with the United States.

Earlier this week, Thomas Lukaszuk, organizer of the pro-federalist Forever Canadian petition, made a similar call.

Lukaszuk said he was writing on behalf of the more than 400,000 Albertans who signed his petition.

“We submit that this is not the time for unnecessary domestic conflict; this is the time for Albertans to stand together with our fellow Canadians and collectively rally against this unprecedented economic threat,” Lukaszuk wrote.

Smith was asked about the calls to postpone the referendum amid the trade tensions during a recent interview with CTV News, but didn’t say whether rescheduling the vote was on the table.

Instead, she compared the anger Canadians in Quebec and Ontario might be feeling toward Trump amid the trade war with the anger Albertans feel toward former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Smith has said before separatists have a decade-long list of resentments with Trudeau over his energy and environmental policies.

“I would say that in the last 18 months, the new prime minister and I have done everything we can to reset the relationship,” she said during the interview.

“But when you cause that kind of damage, people get hurt. That’s what we’re seeing in Alberta right now. I don’t think that you solve problems by ignoring them. You solve problems by addressing it.”

She said she is working to explain to Albertans that Ottawa is working for them, and vice versa, and renewed her call for Albertans to vote to remain in Confederation.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

CN says there is no danger to public safety after 14 railcars derailed in central Nova Scotia.

The company says the upright derailment happened around 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Truro, N.S., and the cause is under investigation.

CN says three of the derailed railcars contained residue hydrogen peroxide, and they have been safely secured.

The railroad company says the other 11 railcars were carrying mostly “paper-related” products.

It says no leaks, fires or injuries have been reported.

A detour remains in place around the Queen Street railway crossing as of Sunday.

CN apologized to Truro residents for the inconvenience caused by the derailment, and thanked local emergency services for their help.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Google has jumped into the debate over Lake Ontario’s name following President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming it “Lake America,” saying the name on its Maps platform depends on where you are located.

The company said it updates Google Maps to reflect name changes from official government sources, which includes the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The GNIS formally changed Lake Ontario to “Lake America” in recent days.

As a result, Google said people using Maps in the U.S. will now see “Lake America,” while those in Canada will see Lake Ontario. Those living or visiting countries outside Canada and the U.S. will see a combination, with Lake Ontario listed but Lake America in parentheses.

“These updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country, and are starting to roll out now,” Google wrote in its post.

University of Victoria geography professor Reuben Rose-Redwood isn’t surprised at the change.

“Google in particular, and I think Apple and Microsoft also, generally have a policy to use whatever the official federal names are for geographic places,” Rose-Redwood said.

When Trump changed the name for the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America,” Google, Apple and Microsoft followed suit. As of Sunday afternoon, Apple has yet to make a change to Lake Ontario on its Maps app.

But changing the name of a location on a map is relatively common, with Rose-Redwood noting it’s been seen with other places like the Falkland Islands, or even Victoria, B.C., which was originally known as Camosack, meaning “rush of water.”

“There’s this long history of using place-naming and renaming as an assertion of power,” he said. “Place naming itself is not a neutral practice; it’s inherently political in terms of the values and the assertions of authority to name and to map that we find today.”

He said symbols like Lake Ontario matter to the public and the names of places are “the very foundations of our geographical imaginations.” But he added that name changes like what Trump is doing are a “distraction.”

“I would be very surprised if this new name lasts beyond the Trump presidency,” he said. “Just as easily as he was able to rename this lake with the signing of an executive order, a new president, if it happens to be a Democrat, will likely just as easily remove Lake America from the map.”

The Google Maps change comes just days after Trump signed his executive order directing the U.S. government to refer to Lake Ontario under the new name in his latest shot against Canada after trade talks fell apart last week.

He also criticized Canada’s trade policies while speaking in the Oval Office, but insisted he loved the country and that renaming the lake was not about sending a message.

The president’s original threat to make the name change came after Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded last Monday to Trump’s tariff threat against cars and trucks produced in Canada by saying he “can kiss my a– as far as I’m concerned.”

This prompted Trump to post on Tuesday that the U.S. was giving “serious consideration” to changing the name of the Great Lake.

Ford later that day spoke about his previous comments, admitting “things got a little heated” in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. He stressed he wanted to get a deal that was good for his province and for Canada.

Two days later, Trump followed through with the threat.

Ford responded to the name change on social media on Thursday and also with a billboard unveiling Saturday in Winona, Ont., near Hamilton, with the words “Lake Ontario Now and Always” emblazoned on it.

“President Trump can call it whatever he wants, but I can tell you the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario,” Ford told reporters. “I received numerous calls from governors; they’re saying we’re always going to call it Lake Ontario, and obviously Canada’s always going to call it Lake Ontario.”

When asked for comment on Google’s decision Sunday, Ford’s office referred Global News to the premier’s previous comments.

While Google Maps has changed the lake’s naming, MapQuest earlier this week said it wouldn’t alter its maps.

Trump’s executive order says the U.S. lays claim to most of the “volume” of Lake Ontario and is mostly responsible for its security, economic activity and environmental stewardship.

— with files from Global News’ Sean Boynton and Touria Izri

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Authorities in Nepal warned of possible fresh flooding on Sunday and urged residents in flood-affected districts to remain on high alert after water levels rose in the Bhotekoshi River.

Flood warning notices were sent to people’s phones early Sunday as rescue crews worked to clear a major highway connecting Kathmandu to one of the areas worst hit by Wednesday’s catastrophic floods, which killed at least 800 people and left more than 3,000 missing in Nepal and Tibet.

The latest warnings came after Chinese authorities informed their Nepalese counterparts of increased water flow upstream, according to Dharam Raj Uprety, chief executive of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

The Chinese state news agency Xinhua, citing the country’s water resources ministry, said a new lake formed after Wednesday’s floods high in the mountains had largely drained.

But Xinhua said the ministry warned that a crater located 5.6 kilometres (3.5 miles) upstream, which held an estimated 1.4 million cubic meters of water, still posed some risk and required close monitoring.

Nepal’s disaster agency said Sunday the death toll had climbed to 788 with 2,502 missing, while Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing on the Chinese side of the border.

The missing include hundreds of people from over a dozen countries who were in the region to work, visit the mountains or make a pilgrimage to a sacred peak. On Sunday, Chinese state media said 261 foreigners were missing in Tibet, including over a hundred Nepalis and others from around the world.

Some are returning to what remained of their homes

In Dhading, one of the worst-hit regions in Nepal, some residents began returning to ruined homes to see what can be salvaged.

Residents sat in homes with walls washed away by the floods, shoveling sludge-like mud and rubble off balconies or window frames. Others scanned the ground for items they could pick out of the mud and rinse off. One man had returned for his chickens, which he found alive. He tied them up and put them in the cabin of his truck.

“Everything is finished. Nothing is left. Not even our home,” Sharmila Tamang, a Dhading resident who was trying to salvage items from her home, told The Associated Press.

At a key power plant that was severely damaged by the floods, workers started inspecting the facilities Sunday to survey the destruction. The plant serves over 20,000 people across four districts.

In the town of Galchhi, a group of residents sought higher ground on a nearby bridge and watched as the river roared by. Some pointed to enormous rocks washed downriver during the earlier floods, while others standing on a suspension bridge were warned off with whistles.

Along the river, homes, vehicles and farm tractors could be seen jutting from the thick gray-brown sediment that enveloped entire villages in some areas. Parts of rice terraces along the riverside had dropped into the river after landslides hit them.

Residents are receiving constant flood warnings

Homes and businesses left intact after the flooding were still without electricity on Sunday, as twisted power line poles and wires lay tangled in the mud.

Residents of flood-hit villages said they were struggling to make sense of near-constant alarms they’ve received since the initial floods.

“Sometimes they say a flood is coming, then we have to run again to higher ground, even at night. There is also rain,” said Govind Shreshta, a resident. “It’s really difficult for me. I have a 72-year-old father and 70-year-old mom. I must carry them and I am exhausted. It’s going on like this for those who are still alive.”

Large concrete and smaller suspension bridges were destroyed, leaving communities on the other side of the river with less easy access.

“Those who are there are now stuck there. Those who are here are stuck here. It’s going to be very difficult,” said Sattan Singh Tamang, 47, who was working near a bridge when Wednesday’s floods came.

Minister says Nepalis have become victims of climate change

Wednesday’s flash floods started after a glacial collapse high in the Himalayan region. Scientists who studied satellite images said bedrock underneath a glacier high in the Himalayan region had collapsed, taking part of the glacier with it. The rockfall was so extreme that it registered as a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.

The rocks and melted water then swelled the rivers in the valleys below, causing a torrent of water that swept buildings, bridges and earth downstream in Tibet and Nepal.

Nepal’s foreign minister called for a global response to climate change, saying Nepal was bearing a disproportionate share of its impact.

“Despite having only 0.1 per cent contribution to the global emissions, people of Nepal have become major victims of climate change,” Shisir Khanal said Saturday.

Scientists have said it is too early to draw a direct connection between global warming and Wednesday’s catastrophe. However, they said that as Earth’s temperature rises because of human activities such as burning oil, gas and coal, the chances of such disasters increase, especially in the Himalayan mountains, which are warming considerably faster than many other parts of the world.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Sunday his country will send a search-and-rescue team to Nepal to assist with relief efforts and help evacuate Malaysians affected by the disaster.

Malaysia has also pledged $1 million in financial aid to Nepal, he said in a statement.

—Associated Press writers Aijaz Hussain in New Delhi and Shristi Kafle in Kathmandu, Nepal, and video journalist Shonal Ganguly in Dhading, Nepal, contributed to this report.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Voters are set to head to the polls on Monday in three federal by-elections with the trade war between Canada and the U.S. expected to be a key factor on many people’s minds.

Votes are taking place in British Columbia, Ontario and a third in Quebec following the resignations and departures of their MPs.

In B.C., the Liberals are hoping to hold on to North Vancouver-Capilano, which they’ve held since 2015. Most recently, it belonged to long-time MP and minister Jonathan Wilkinson who left to take on the role of Canada’s ambassador to the European Union.

Over the years, Wilkinson served as minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, minister of Environment and Climate Change and, in his last role, as minister of Energy and Natural Resources. He was dropped from cabinet following the 2025 federal election.

Braeden Caley, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s former deputy chief of staff and a senior staff member of his election campaign, is returning to his home province to run for the party.

Stephen Curran, a commercial lawyer who ran against Wilkinson last year, is returning to run for the Conservatives. He has run attack ads on social media against Caley, challenging his connection to the community.

Carrying the orange banner for the NDP is Stephen Tweedale. He is a party staffer for the local MLA, but could face an uphill battle as a federal candidate as the party received only four per cent of the vote in 2025 when the NDP’s support collapsed across the country.

Shelley Luce, an environmental scientist from the North Shore community, is running for the Green Party.

A few provinces away in Ontario, Nate Erskine-Smith’s former seat in Beaches-East York is up for grabs.

First elected in 2015, Erskine-Smith was known as a Liberal who could be outspoken against some of his own government’s decisions. He held a ministerial post briefly in the waning days of Justin Trudeau’s leadership and was kept on by Carney going into the 2025 election. He then returned to backbenches when Carney named his post-election cabinet.

The former MP is now running for Toronto city council after a failed attempt to be the candidate for the provincial Liberals in an upcoming byelection. He had also intended to also run for Ontario Liberal leadership but dropped those plans after a nomination contest loss.

Erskine-Smith’s former constituency office manager, Tanveer Shahnawaz, is running for the Liberals. He’ll face off against Shannon Devine for the NDP, who came in third in the 2025 vote. Jim Sybros is running for the Conservatives and Bruce Livesey is running for the Greens.

The third riding to watch will be in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, which became vacant after Carney named Conservative MP Richard Martel to the Senate.

Martel won in 2025 by a small margin, edging out candidates from both the Bloc Quebecois and the Liberals.

Daniel Gobeil, a dairy farmer and former president of a provincial dairy association, is holding the flag for the Liberals. Lawyer and teacher Regis Gaudreault is running for the Conservatives to try and keep the seat in the party’s hands. Caroline Dube, who served as director of the office of Bloc MP Mario Simard, is running for the Bloc. Nathe Perrone is running for the Greens and Raphael Emond is carrying the NDP banner.

Elections Canada issued a notice this weekend to remind people in the province that the by-election was for the federal riding as the province has a riding with the same name that will see a provincial election vote held Sept. 26.

The Saguenay region, where the riding is located, has been hit particularly hard by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. It’s a major producer of aluminum and forestry products, and home to a significant number of dairy farmers representing a sector that has become a target of the president due to Canada’s supply management system.

But that same trade war could help the Liberals in all three ridings.

According to a new poll by Ipsos for Global News, 44 per cent of Canadians say they’d vote for the Liberals if an election were held tomorrow compared to 33 per cent for the Conservatives, 10 per cent for the NDP and eight per cent for the Bloc.

Those numbers were strongest in B.C. with 46 per cent saying they’d vote Liberal and 49 per cent saying the same in Ontario. The Liberals also were ahead in Quebec, with 37 per cent saying they’d vote for the governing party, but the numbers were closer with 33 per cent supporting the Bloc Quebecois. The Conservatives trailed in third in Quebec at 22 per cent.

For all three provinces where a by-election is being held, the polling also showed majority support for Canada standing firm against the U.S. proposed deal, even if it meant higher tariffs and economic costs. About 65 per cent of B.C. and Ontario residents said they agreed with the decision, with 57 per cent saying the same in Quebec.

Unlike the by-elections held in April, the stakes are not as high for the parties.

The Liberals won all three votes, giving them 174 seats in the House of Commons, a slim but working majority. With Erskine-Smith and Wilkinson’s resignations, along with former MP Stephen Guilbeault officially resigning this past Friday and Shaun Chen earlier this month, the Liberals currently hold 170 seats.

That number is two seats below the number needed for a majority, though with opposition parties at just 166 seats the government does not need other MPs to vote with them to pass bills or win confidence motions.

Winning all three ridings Monday, however, could further strengthen their majority to 173 seats.

There also remain four more by-elections Carney will need to call in the coming months following Chen and Guilbeault’s departures, as well as the resignations of two Bloc Quebecois MPs to run in next month’s provincial election.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.