Carney’s ‘hydronym’ moment is behind a cheeky campaign to raise awareness about Lake Ontario

A new fundraising campaign builds off Prime Minister Mark Carney’s use of the word “hydronym” to raise awareness and environmental protections for Lake Ontario.

London, Ont., apparel company Branded By Collins has created T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase, “My hydronyms are Lake & Ontario.” A portion of the sales proceeds go to Swim Drink Fish Canada, a Toronto-based, national charity that connects people with the lake, and works to keep it safe and clean.

“This is an opportunity where for the first time in a generation, we’re seeing people talk about Lake Ontario and take pride in it,” said Gregary Ford, the charity’s vice-president and waterkeeper.

The idea came about after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America, as the two countries traded social media jabs over trade talks that broke down last month.

Carney responded to Trump’s renaming idea with a social media statement, which read in part, “We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms. Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always.”

Hydronym is the proper name for a body of water. The internet was abuzz with Carney’s use of the word. Many people, including Swim Drink Fish Canada’s Ford, who lives in Dundas in Hamilton on the lake’s western tip, admitted they had to search for its meaning.

“I did have to look it up just with everybody else, and I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that because I work in water,” he said. “But it is a beautiful and wonderfully nerdy word that I think captured people’s attention to the idea of a name and what it represents.”

Lake Ontario — one of the five Great Lakes — is between Ontario and New York. Its name comes from the Huron-Wendat word “oniatarí:io,” which means “lake of shining waters.” The province, founded in 1867, took its name from the lake.

Carney said on social media that the name is more than 400 years old, and predates Canada and the U.S. as countries.

Political leaders in both countries have condemned Trump’s executive order.

On Saturday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a sign in Winona that said “Lake Ontario, now and always.” Some U.S. politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, have also denounced the renaming.

‘We’re definitely proud Canadians’

Branded By Collins created the T-shirts after the public relations firm Curious Public reached out to managing partner Steve Ryall with the idea.

“Funny enough, I was riding a bicycle in Toronto, going right by Lake Ontario, when I got the phone call, so it was interesting timing,” Ryall said. “It’s fun to be a part of something like this. We’re definitely proud Canadians, so we’re excited to support the initiative.”

He said the majority of the company’s customers are in Canada, so it hasn’t directly been impacted by U.S. tariffs, but added that many people buying the products have been affected.

“Everybody’s affected by it one way or another. And so hopefully [the trade situation] goes well for everybody involved, and things settle down between the two countries soon because I think it’s an important relationship on so many levels.”

The “hydronym” campaign started out with just hats, but has since grown to T-shirts, sweaters and hoodies that come in black, red and white. Ten dollars from the sale of each item, ranging from $30 to $50, go to the non-profit. Its efforts include sharing real-time water quality data and advocating for the lake.

Gregary Ford said he works closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Department of Environment and Conservation. He admitted an executive order makes things challenging on a day-to-day basis because U.S. federal employees have to refer to it as Lake America, but he said has received support from his American counterparts.

However, Ford said, the tensions have reignited Canadian pride and more people are interested in learning about the lake’s Indigenous origins, its connection to the other Great Lakes and how Lake Ontario can better be protected.

“This is obviously a deflection from trade negotiations and ongoing discourse between federal leaders on both sides of the border, but it’s also an opportunity to feel proud about our heritage in water and our history with Indigenous place naming,” said Ford.

“People are learning more not just about new terms like hydronyms, but also new concepts and ways of bettering our relationship with the lake that is in our backyard.”

Ford said the lake is under stress from a variety of sources, including climate change, invasive species, microplastics and others, so this campaign is one way to encourage action.