Canada has responded to US President Donald Trump’s penchant for renaming landmarks with a name change of its own — Trump Avenue in Ottawa is set to be erased from the map.
The move is seen as a direct response to the US President, who has repeatedly suggested Canada should cease to exist as an independent country and become the 51st state of the United States.
Ottawa City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday night to remove Trump’s name from a leafy residential street in the capital.
“I don’t like the idea of anything that’s named for Donald Trump, who’s demonstrated hostility towards Canada, in our city,” Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said.
The street, located in the Central Park neighbourhood — an area where many roads are named after New York City references, Trump’s hometown — will keep its current name until a new one is chosen.
Residents of the former Trump Avenue will now form a committee to decide on a replacement name, which is expected to take effect next year.
Relations between the two longtime allies have deteriorated sharply under Trump’s second term, driven by his aggressive America-first agenda and dismissal of traditional alliances.
Since returning to office, Trump has imposed tariffs on Canada and recently announced that the US government would refer to Lake Ontario, which straddles the border, as “Lake America.”
He has also publicly mocked and insulted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on social media.
