Policies Constitutional documents
Cultural Heritage Policy
How Map.ca handles cultural-heritage sites, including those identified by Indigenous communities and historic-preservation bodies.
- Version
- 0.1.0
- Effective
- May 20, 2026
- Last reviewed
- May 20, 2026
- Review cycle
- every 24 months
- Master Policy Index entry
- §4 #49
Policy text
Cultural heritage is community memory. The Cultural Heritage Policy defines how Map.ca handles cultural-heritage sites: who is authorized to add them, how sensitive sites are protected, the relationship with Indigenous data sovereignty, and the path for heritage-body partnerships. Heritage layers are removable by community request and never indexed publicly without consent.
It applies to Indigenous communities, heritage-preservation bodies, Map.ca staff handling cultural data, and any researcher or partner working with heritage data.
Principles this policy enforces
- Public data and personal data are not the same thing
- Indigenous data sovereignty is foundational
- Community benefit must survive scale
What it requires
- Add heritage layers only with community or authorized-body consent.
- Make sensitive heritage layers removable on request.
What it forbids
- Do not publish sensitive cultural sites without consent.
- Do not extract or commercialize cultural-heritage data.
How it applies
- Indigenous communities
- Heritage-preservation bodies
- Map.ca cultural data team
- Researchers and heritage partners
References
- Map.ca Policy Constitution §2 principle 9
Related policies
Indigenous Data Sovereignty Policy
How Map.ca handles Indigenous community data, cultural places, traditional knowledge, names, language, heritage, and map layers.
Place Names Policy
How Indigenous, settler, and minority-language place names are presented, ordered, and updated on Map.ca.
Sensitive Location Data Policy
Protects homes, shelters, children’s programs, places of worship, support services, vulnerable populations, and safety-sensitive locations.