Policies Partner-facing policies
Municipal Partner Policy
How municipalities partner with Map.ca: intake routing, response SLAs, data sharing, and what stays under municipal control.
- Version
- 0.1.0
- Effective
- May 20, 2026
- Last reviewed
- May 20, 2026
- Review cycle
- every 12 months
- Master Policy Index entry
- §4 #26
Policy text
Municipal partnership is structured intake, not platform takeover. The Municipal Partner Policy defines how a municipality onboards, what civic categories route to which municipal channel, the response SLAs the municipality commits to, the data-sharing scope, the public-facing status the municipality controls, and the conditions under which a partnership ends. It is a partnership, not an acquisition of municipal data.
It applies to every municipal partner, Map.ca’s partnerships team, the civic surface teams, and any Map.ca staff handling municipal data. The municipality’s internal decisions remain the municipality’s; Map.ca’s public-facing structure remains Map.ca’s.
Principles this policy enforces
- Civic reporting must be useful without becoming a public shaming system
- Public data and personal data are not the same thing
- Community benefit must survive scale
What it requires
- Document response SLAs in writing for every onboarded municipality.
- Define the data-sharing scope explicitly in the partnership agreement.
- Provide a clear, low-friction exit path.
- Honour municipal control over internal decisions and routing.
What it forbids
- Do not share municipality-controlled data with third parties without explicit consent.
- Do not allow municipal partnership to be used for political messaging or campaigns.
- Do not modify civic data on behalf of a municipality outside the partnership scope.
- Do not retain municipal data after exit beyond the documented retention period.
How it applies
- Municipal partners
- Map.ca partnerships team
- Civic surface teams
- Map.ca staff handling municipal data
References
- Map.ca business plan — Municipal partnerships as structured intake
- Map.ca Policy Constitution §2 principle 8 — Public data and personal data are not the same thing
Related policies
Civic Pin Policy
What can be reported as a Civic Pin, who can report it, how it displays, and how it routes to municipalities.
Civic Data Sharing Policy
Defines what civic data can be shared with municipalities, what is public, what is private, and what requires consent.
Public Accountability Policy
Allows communities to see civic activity without exposing private complainants or creating unfair pressure campaigns.
Sensitive Location Data Policy
Protects homes, shelters, children’s programs, places of worship, support services, vulnerable populations, and safety-sensitive locations.