Vancouver club says Instagram account vanished after Lake Ontario joke

The owner of Vancouver’s Penthouse Nightclub says the business’s Instagram account disappeared hours after it posted a marquee taking aim at U.S. President Donald Trump’s order directing the U.S. government to refer to Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”

The Seymour Street club’s sign reads, “CANT HANDLE A POOL BUT WANTS OUR LAKE?” It refers to problems reported at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after a renovation project, including algae and peeling paint. The U.S. Department of Justice later said allegations of vandalism were unfounded and the damage resulted from a rushed, faulty repair job.

Owner Danny Filippone said the club’s social posts carried the same message as the sign and that its Instagram account was taken down within hours Friday evening. He said the club is trying to recover the account and intends to keep the sign up.

In Kelowna, entrepreneur Sean McHaffie launched an online apparel store called It’s Lake Ontario, saying its first collection went live at itslakeontario.ca within 24 hours on Shopify. Filippone said a previous Penthouse sign responding to Trump’s remarks about Canada becoming the 51st state had also been flagged on X, delaying the return of that account.