Canadian city councils are considering renaming streets named after US President Donald Trump, with Obama Avenue and Taco Avenue among the options.
Ottawa City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to take the first step toward renaming Trump Avenue, a residential street in Ottawa’s Central Park neighborhood that has bore the president’s name for nearly 25 years. This is just one reference to nearby New York City, which also includes Staten Way, Madison Park, and even Gotham Private.
But amid an escalating trade war between the two countries and Trump’s repeated attacks on Canada, some local councilors say they think the name is embarrassing and don’t want anything in Ottawa bearing his name.
The council’s vote came just a day before President Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. government to refer to Lake Ontario as the “Lake of the Americas,” a move similar to Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of the Americas.”
Ottawa City Councilor Tim Tierney told CNN that potential new names include Obama Avenue, Ontario Avenue, Canada Avenue, Beaver Avenue, Gulf of Mexico Avenue, Canada Goose Avenue, Pelosi Avenue and even Taco Avenue, an acronym for “Trump Always Chickens Out.” Another suggestion: Rosie O’Donnell Avenue — A reference to Rosie O’Donnell Avenue, a comedian and longtime Trump opponent who moved to Ireland after his reelection.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
There are many other places in Canada named after Trump, from lakes including Trump Lake in northern Ontario (some people online have already proposed renaming it) to islands and streams. But Trump Avenue is the only one actually named after Donald Trump, according to Tierney.
Tierney said street name changes won’t happen overnight. A name change would need to be supported by at least half of residents, after which the new name would go through its own public bidding process. None of this is expected to happen until after the municipal elections, which are scheduled for the end of October.
And this isn’t the first time the Ottawa community has tried to rename Trump Avenue.
In 2021, we asked 62 households on the street whether they would like to change their name, and 21 households voted in favor, 21 households voted against it, and 20 households did not vote at all.
Those who objected weren’t necessarily Trump supporters, Tierney said. Some people simply don’t like the hassle of changing their address.
Tierney told CNN that while the issue appeared to be resolved after the 2021 vote, the controversy over President Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario as Lakes of the Americas brought the issue back to the “forefront” again.
Still, he cautioned against letting the dispute over the name overshadow broader tensions between the two countries.
“We can save the semantics of the name for another day in the future,” Tierney said. “I think our focus should remain on trade and tariffs at the moment, but that’s just a distraction.”
“I’m watching the president do the same thing and it’s disgusting,” Tierney said. “Let’s stop this boring name fight and get back to the table.”
