Taxpayers shelled out $25,000 to print and erect an oversized “Lake Ontario” billboard just east of Hamilton, the premier’s office confirmed, allowing Doug Ford to take a symbolic stand against U.S. President Donald Trump.
The sign, which reads “Lake Ontario now and always” in both English and French, was unveiled over the weekend, just days after Trump signed an executive order declaring the body of water as Lake America amid the ongoing trade dispute between Canada and the U.S.
“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 after unveiling the sign in Winona, Ont.
Ford’s visual response was the latest in an ongoing, and escalating, war of words with Trump that has seen the two politicians trading personal insults over Canada’s decision to walk away from tariff negotiations in late August.
While Ford’s Lake Ontario sign has garnered international news coverage, the premier’s political critics are questioning whether his approach — from the insults to a series of interviews on U.S. television networks — is helping the overall negotiations.
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“I just think we’re giving President Trump what he wants,” said Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser.
“These are serious times; it’s a trade war. You need a plan, you need a strategy. We don’t need to be talking to Americans on American television. If the premier wants to be talking to people, he should be talking to Ontarians about what his plan is to protect Ontarians.”
The Ford government already announced its billion-dollar financial support program would be expanded to allow additional industries to apply for “tariff-related working capital challenges,” including help with payroll, lease and utility payments.
While the money was initially aimed at the steel, aluminum, auto and copper sectors, additional industries targeted by Trump’s tariffs, including mechanical equipment, plastic products, beverages, paper and packaging, leather and footwear, beauty and personal care, and furniture producers, will be allowed to apply.
The program, however, required businesses to have at least $2 million in revenue and 10 employees, which has raised concerns that small businesses might not be eligible.
“Two out of three jobs are from small businesses; they’re as impacted,” Fraser said. “So we have to protect all jobs.”
NDP Labour Critic Jamie West also questioned whether provincial funding comes with guarantees preventing employers from triggering layoffs.
“In Sault Ste. Marie, when the steel plant was being hit with those tariffs, the federal government and provincial government handed over hundreds of millions of dollars,” West said. “They still ended up laying off people. There are no strings attached”
West said Ford may not be employing the right strategy in the face of a mercurial president.
“I understand that the premier has tapped into the frustration people are feeling. We would all like to tell the president of the United States off at this point,” West said.
“But if you’re trying to get a deal done … imagine if you’re gonna buy a car and you showed up at the car lot swearing at the person who’s selling it. It’s gonna be tough to get a good deal on a car, right?”
Still, Ford’s approach is being endorsed by some in the business community, targeted by Trump’s trade war.
“No question, there’s been some emotions running high around what happened,” said the Ontario Chamber of Commerce CEO Daniel Tisch.
“I think people appreciate the fact that leaders are there to articulate the concerns of the people that they lead.”
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Doug how about practicing a little more maturity?
Dear Vinny all Trudeau and his adviser turned Primeminister have ever done is throw money at it. My wild guess thier personal portfolio have done nothing but grow by the millions. While Canada gets even closer to bankruptcy. Let’s not forget the % of taxes we pay while they jet set and Canada only gets deeper in debt.
Doug Ford is a 🫏, Liberal puppet.
A giant picture of his bare buttocks spread wide?
Ok! I’m just a little bit confused. Was that 1 sign or 25 signs.
Doug Food needs to leave things alone, he is not helping, I honestly think he is as much a child as Trump
Ford is giving Trump all he needs daaaa
Another $25k of public money sacrificed on the pyre of political posturing driven by TDS. Shameful.
The portrayal is that $25K is ‘nothing’. I beg to differ given the abusive amount of taxes i pay and how you still accumulate huge debt.
@Mike Battler “Let me see, 2500 thousand for a sign or 7 billion for wind turbines which we never got back? You dumb liberals do the math.”
Ford cancelled $230M in wind turbines/green projects.
Conservatives lost Ontario ~$27B by selling off the 407 for $3B? The 407 is now worth about $30B. That revenue alone could make a significant contribution to healthcare and education.
What about the $1.4B Ford lost Ontarians from LCBO revenue?
What about Ford spending our tax dollars for a parking lot for a private spa?
… or the $200K Ford cost us with the private jet debacle.
… or the enormous $55B projected costs for a stupid highway under the 401; a project that is likely to see significant cost overruns, if not fail entirely.
Talk about being dumb…
Carney spends more than this on his in-flight catering.
If there was a proper bidding process I would have done it for 12.5k no problem. Ford is a fake conservative, the man’s never conserved anything in his life.
Typical Conservative tactic. Spend more of our money to get noticed.
What’s the point of this?. It’s a complete and total waste of taxpayers money. The government officials forget that the money they’re haphazardly spending, comes from the sweat of their constituents brows!. If it were Ford’s money that was spent, I highly doubt it would have cost 25k.
He say’s on national TV he’s not going to take the “bait”, then proceeds to comment on said “bait”. Good heavens, which is it?. I agree with what’s being said but not the manner in which it’s being said. Putting up a sign seems to me to be a very childish response on a similar level.
distractions by two clowns that doing their business. for bammerfoidisimparchy idiots. one sold their children and genocided other genocide themselves because it’s convenient. pathetic end
Corrupt Douggie is just a waste. Deep down we all know he loves the US and is just showboating.
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Why does it cost $25,000. for Ford to erect a sign for Lake Ontario?
Hope the orange one has an aneurysm or something as equally devistating. Canada FTW always.
Let me see, 2500 thousand for a sign or 7 billion for wind turbines which we never got back? You dumb liberals do the math.
And they are all Freemasons.
Can we not see over 95% of news is to distract and deceive you?
Conservatives are drunk on spending money on tax payer dime
Umm how much should it really cost for this temporary pos ? I’ve made signs this big for a lot less. We can’t a”Ford” this fat bastard anymore
Sugar Daddy Doug can bulldozer tons of money into Ontario’s $500 billion dollar public debt black hole at will, after all it’s only the future generations that will pay for it, and whatever hyperinflation it causes in the near term won’t be an inconvenience for him because he’ll just vote himself another cost of living raise.
Make him and carney pay for it
This is the liberals fault probably
Wow:
“I just think we’re giving President Trump what he wants,” said Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser. “These are serious times; it’s a trade war. You need a plan, you need a strategy. We don’t need to be talking to Americans on American television. If the premier wants to be talking to people, he should be talking to Ontarians about what his plan is to protect Ontarians.”
I guess the minister doesn’t remember when Justin prorogued parliament, for no reason other than to save the LPC from oblivion, and it was Ford as head of the association of premiers as the only person negotiating with the then incoming Trump administration about his intent to tariff the world. We had no federal negotiators. Ministers, the ones who hadn’t announced they weren’t running again, were busy campaigning in their ridings.
25k so that a crackhead can pretend to be Mr Canada
Who needs Trump when Clownada really goes out of its way to embarass itself.
What a waste of money, could have got art students to paint it and shop class to erect it and the English students to correct the spelling cause they spelled America wrong. LOL