Metrolinx launches Lake Ontario-themed Presto cards. Here’s how you can snag one - Toronto Star

The phrase 'Lake Ontario Now and Always' is inscribed on the cards, mirroring the slogan Ontario Premier Doug Ford used on the large sign he unveiled late last month.

The card includes the phrase “Lake Ontario Now and Always” in both English and French, and also features a badge and a section of the lake on a makeshift map in the background.

Some lucky transit riders will be able to carry their support for Lake Ontario with them in their pockets. 

Metrolinx gave away all 1,000 of its new limited-edition Lake Ontario-themed Presto cards at Union Station on Tuesday afternoon. Existing Presto users received a sticker of the new design to place over their cards. 

The card includes the phrase “Lake Ontario Now and Always” in both English and French, and also features a badge and a section of the lake on a makeshift map in the background.

A Lake Ontario-themed Presto card is posed for a photo in Toronto.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to rebrand Lake Ontario as “Lake America” in the United States in late August amid a bitter public feud with Ontario Premier Doug Ford over the ongoing trade war. At a previous press conference, the premier told Trump to “kiss my ass” and called him a loser. 

Ford’s comments came in response to Trump imposing his latest round of tariffs on Canada after Prime Minister Mark Carney suspended trade talks with the president in the final hours before Trump’s deadline.

Google and Apple both updated their mapping apps in the U.S. to reflect Trump’s desired change. MapQuest insisted it wouldn’t be following suit and rose to become the No. 1 free app in the App Store in Canada on Sept. 1.

MapQuest then had a large billboard put up in Toronto (and five U.S. cities) showing turn-by-turn directions to Lake Ontario in a nod to the app’s heyday. However, the Toronto billboard was taken down a day later.

The U.S.-based Associated Press also said it would continue to refer to the body of water as Lake Ontario.

Premier Ford unveiled a large sign of his own near Stoney Creek, Ont., on Aug. 29 using the same slogan that will be inscribed on the Presto cards.

Metrolinx previously gave out special FIFA World Cup-themed Presto cards to celebrate the event that partially took place in Toronto over the summer. 

Joshua Smith is a staff reporter with the Toronto Star. He can be reached at joshuasmith@thestar.ca.