Google says it is “actively working to update labels” for Canadian parks after users pointed out that several provincial parks have been categorized as “state parks,” which is the American term.
On the Google Maps Help page, where users can post questions and concerns, one person with the username Louise N wrote that provincial parks are being “incorrectly listed as State parks” on Feb. 22. She added that “we do not have states in Canada” and asked, “How can this be fixed?”
By Tuesday morning, more than 1,300 people clicked a button on the post saying they had the same question.
The issue seems more pertinent recently for some Canadians, as tensions rise between Canada and the United States, with threats of tariffs and jabs about Canada becoming the 51st state from American President Donald Trump. Canadians have been inclined to buy locally made brands and even cancel trips to the U.S. The sentiment is extending to how Canadian locations are being labelled on maps.
“There (are) not any state parks in Canada regardless of what Trump wants Google to have people think,” commented one Google Maps community member with the username Kelly Knudsen on the post about provincial parks being mislabelled.
Canadian parks such as B.C.’s Stawamus Chief Provincial Park and Murrin Provincial Park are categorized as “state park” when entered into the Google Maps search bar. Similarly for Alberta, so are Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and Big Hill Springs Provincial Park. In Ontario, too, parks such as Short Hills Provincial Park and Sibbald Point Provincial Park were labelled as “state park.” (By Tuesday, however, a search for those Ontario parks showed that they were labelled “park.”)
In an emailed statement to the National Post, a Google spokesperson said the company has “not made any recent changes” to the way it labels parks in Canada and “the vast majority of these parks have had their existing labels for several years.”
We’re actively working to update labels for parks in Canada to avoid confusion
Google spokesperson
“We’re actively working to update labels for parks in Canada to avoid confusion,” the statement said.
The spokesperson added that there are “many labels for parks in our systems.” The terms are “sometimes used interchangeably in our backend systems” because of their similarities. For example, both provincial and state parks are managed by the Canadian and U.S. government, respectively.
BC Parks, where many of the mislabelled provincial parks are located, said it was aware of the concern about Canadian parks having a “state park” label.
“We have reached out to Google Canada to request a unique label option of ‘provincial park.’ We understand the concerns this has raised in the context of recent events — and let’s be clear, we will never be the 51st state,” said B.C. Minister of Environment and Parks Tamara Davidson in an emailed statement to the National Post.
Alexandru Cioban, a spokesperson for the Minister of Forestry and Parks of Alberta, said Alberta Parks also knew about the matter.
“We have already reached out to submit requests for an immediate correction. These parks are, and always will be, Alberta provincial parks,” Cioban said in an email to the National Post.
“If Google maps only caters to American maps and labels, let us know so we can find another map app to use!” wrote one Google Maps community member with the username M S 3356.
“Do better please,” wrote a member known as User 355403319942666540. “We’re not Americans and don’t have states. We have provinces. If your maps can’t correctly label our geographic locations then you probably should get out of the map business.”
The proper labelling of maps has been a point of contention even among Americans after Trump signed an executive order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The Associated Press said its reporters had been barred from attending a meeting in the Oval Office with Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk due to their refusal to use the new name, The Hill reported.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reasserted the Trump administration’s stance at a press conference in mid-February.
“If we feel there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable,” she said. “And it is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America, and I’m not sure why news outlets don’t want to call it that but that is what it is.”
AP filed a lawsuit against the White House for denying access to the Oval Office. On Monday, a federal judge declined to temporarily restore the publication’s full access, CNN reported.
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