Provincial transit agency Metrolinx handed out roughly 1,000 limited-edition Lake Ontario-themed Presto cards on Tuesday as part of a drive to push local pride.
The transit cards were handed out near the UP Express section of Union Station, emblazoned with a small graphic of water and the sun in the style of a patch.
On one side, the card reads: “Lake Ontario, Now and Always.”
Metrolinx said the cards were a chance to boost local pride amidst an ongoing trade war with the United States, which has seen President Donald Trump rename the lake within America.
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“We’re proud to operate bus and rail service along the shores of Lake Ontario, from Oshawa to Niagara,” Metrolinx wrote in a statement.
“Today’s customer engagement event and limited-edition PRESTO card giveaway celebrate the pride Ontarians and Canadians have in this iconic Great Lake and the name it has carried for generations — Lake Ontario, now and always.”
Trump previously signed an order directing the U.S. government to refer to Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes, as “Lake America,” in his latest shot against Canada after trade talks fell apart.
Prime Minister Mark Carney responded to the change, saying the name of Lake Ontario would remain “now and always.” Those words also appeared on the sign unveiled Saturday.
Then, at the end of August, Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a $25,000 giant blue sign on the shores of the lake, which bore the same inscription as the Presto cards.
“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 when he unveiled the sign.
“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.”
Metrolinx said all 1,000 limited-edition cards were snapped up on Tuesday.
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