Policies Public-facing policies
Data Licensing Policy
How Map.ca data is licensed to partners, researchers, and the public — and what is never licensed at any price.
- Version
- 0.1.0
- Effective
- May 20, 2026
- Last reviewed
- May 20, 2026
- Review cycle
- every 12 months
- Master Policy Index entry
- §4 #72
Policy text
Data licensing is a constrained surface. The Data Licensing Policy defines the licensing tiers (research, partner, municipal, public open-data), the attribution requirements at each tier, the use restrictions (no surveillance derivations, no re-identification, no AI training without separate opt-in), and the categories that are never licensable at any tier (sensitive locations, civic reports involving people, Indigenous data without community consent, content involving minors).
It applies to Map.ca’s data, partnerships, and legal functions, and to every licensee.
Principles this policy enforces
- Collect less, protect more
- Public data and personal data are not the same thing
- Indigenous data sovereignty is foundational
- Community benefit must survive scale
What it requires
- License only through the documented tiers.
- Require attribution where the public-attribution tier applies.
What it forbids
- Do not license sensitive-location data.
- Do not license content involving minors, civic reports involving people, or Indigenous data without community consent.
How it applies
- Map.ca data team
- Partnerships
- Legal
- Licensees
References
- Map.ca Policy Constitution §2 principle 9
Related policies
Open Data Policy
What aggregated and anonymized data Map.ca releases as open data, with what license, and what stays out.
API Use Policy
Who can use Map.ca's APIs, how, and what limits and data-handling obligations apply to integrators.
Indigenous Data Sovereignty Policy
How Map.ca handles Indigenous community data, cultural places, traditional knowledge, names, language, heritage, and map layers.