Google removing state park labels from Canadian provincial parks
Google is working to update labels on Canadian provincial parks to more accurately reflect what they are after the company’s current “State Park” labels sparked concern this week.
Some Canadians were worried the state park descriptors on provincial parks were changed following U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments that he wanted to make Canada the 51st state.
However, Google says, in most cases, the inaccurate labels have been there for years.
“We have not made any recent changes to the way we label parks in Canada – 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 Maps recently changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico, adding (Gulf of America) behind it in response to the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) update at Trump’s request.
Google Maps
Some Canadians who noticed provincial parks labelled state parks emailed Daily Hive to share their disapproval.
“This is incorrect and it is also very disrespectful,” Daily Hive reader Sonia Picco said. “[We should] start a movement to bombard Google to stop messing with the facts.”
BC Parks even got involved. The provincial agency reached out to Google to request the parks’ labels be changed from state park to 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,” B.C.’s minister of environment and parks, Tamara Davidson, told Daily Hive.