Ottawa Pushes to Rename Iconic Street amid Tariff Dispute
"Taco Avenue" Emerges as a Candidate for the New Name

Canada's move to rename "Trump Avenue," a long-standing symbol of North American friendship, to "Taco Avenue" has heightened the ongoing tariff standoff between the two countries.

'Trump Avenue' in Ottawa, Canada. Photo by Yonhap News

'Trump Avenue' in Ottawa, Canada. Photo by Yonhap News

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According to CNN on August 27 (local time), the city council of Ottawa, the capital of Canada, unanimously passed an initial motion the previous day to change the name of "Trump Avenue," a residential street in the Central Park neighborhood. The road has carried the Trump name for about 25 years.


Much like Manhattan's well-known park, Ottawa's Central Park area has named many of its streets after major places, figures, or cultural elements from New York. Trump Avenue was named in the late 1990s after Donald Trump, then a prominent real estate mogul in New York.


This decision is also being interpreted as a countermeasure against President Trump's move to rename Lake Ontario, the lake between the U.S. and Canada, as "Lake America."


As trade and tariff tensions between the two countries intensify—and with President Trump making provocative statements such as proposing to annex Canada as the 51st U.S. state—Ottawa city councilors have responded to residents' discomfort with a street named after him by taking steps to change the name.


Tim Tierney, an Ottawa city councilor, told CNN in an interview, "Residents are suggesting a variety of new street name candidates."


Alternative names under consideration include "Obama Avenue," "Ontario Avenue," and "Canada Avenue." "Taco Avenue" is also a contender, with "TACO" standing for "Trump Always Chickens Out"—a phrase that satirizes President Trump's negotiation style. Another candidate is "Rosie O'Donnell Avenue," named after comedian Rosie O'Donnell, who is well-known for her antagonistic relationship with President Trump.


However, it is expected to take some time before the street name is officially changed. Over half of the residents on the street must consent to the change, after which a public hearing and other community opinion-gathering processes are required.


Previously, during the first Trump administration in 2021, a vote was held among the 62 households on the street concerning the name change. The results were evenly split—with 21 votes in favor, 21 against, and 20 abstentions—so the renaming was not approved.



At that time, it was reported that residents who voted against the change were motivated more by the inconvenience of updating their addresses than by any positive feelings toward President Trump.


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