A Complete Guide to Waze in Canada
Welcome to Waze map editing in Canada and to the editing community!
Since the USA and Canada share the same Waze server, many of the policies and best practices that have been developed for the US also apply to Canada. This page contains information that is unique to Canada. Because some of it is still being developed, please follow the guidance for the US where it is not in conflict with the information here.
This page is now in development and will soon be available in French.
Getting Started
Please see the article Getting Started.
Another great resource for new map editors is the Welcome to WME.
Help Improve Waze
Please see the article Help Improve Waze
Forums
Please check out the Canada-specific forums here: Canada Forum
Feel free to post questions and ask for advice in your editing. Our region is very different in a number of ways from the United States, so the generic editing guidelines don't always apply.
Social Media
Area/Country Managers
List of Senior Editors
| Username | Primary Areas Managed | Comments | Forum PM |
|---|---|---|---|
| manoeuvre | Ontario | Country Coordinator
Waze Global Champ Rank 6 CM for Canada |
PM |
| Kayos_On_The_Road | British Columbia | Country Coordinator
Waze Global Champ Rank 6 CM for Canada |
PM |
| doctorkb | Alberta | Waze Global Champ
Rank 6 CM for Canada |
PM |
| hmarian | Ontario | Waze Global Champ
Rank 6 CM for Canada |
PM |
| Webs101 | Quebec | Waze Local Champ (Canada)
Rank 6 CM for Canada |
PM |
| SkiDooGuy | Saskatchewan | Waze Local Champ (Canada)
Waze Local Champ (US) Rank 6 CM for Canada and US |
PM |
| MushyMedic | Manitoba | Waze Local Champ (Canada)
Rank 6 CM for Canada |
PM |
| restless_in_nb | Atlantic Canada and Gaspe Peninsula | Waze Local Champ (Canada)
Rank 6 CM for Canada |
PM |
| phil-mtl | Quebec | Waze Local Champ (Canada)
Rank 6 CM for Canada |
PM |
| alexs001 | Okanagan Valley, BC
Newfoundland and Labrador |
Waze Local Champ (Canada)
Rank 6 CM for Canada |
PM |
| Taxy57 | Quebec | Rank 5 CM for Canada | PM |
| Got2BeKD | Manitoba & Saskatchewan | Rank 5 CM for Canada | PM |
| Dry_B0nes | Alberta | Rank 5 CM for Canada | PM |
| mtylerb | AB, SK and BC's Eastern "Boot" | Rank 5 CM for Canada | PM |
| EECGeek | Ontario / Quebec, Canada | Rank 5 PM for Ontario | PM |
| de_denis | Quebec | Rank 5 PM for Quebec | PM |
| PsstDizel | York Region | Rank 5 PM for Ontario | PM |
| kkarkid | Ontario | Rank 4 PM for Ontario | PM |
| IamtheLexx | Ontario | Rank 4 PM for Ontario | PM |
| Aztek985 | Ontario | Rank 4 PM for Ontario | PM |
| e-sarge | Durham Region | Rank 4 PM for Ontario | PM |
| amoyer1974 | Hamilton, ON | Rank 4 PM for Ontario and Yukon | PM |
| GregVA3MGR | Ontario, Canada | Rank 4 PM for Ontario | PM |
| PeterMuir | Ontario, Canada | Rank 4 PM for Ontario | PM |
| BryceCampbell | Canada-Wide Closures
BC and SK Editing |
Waze Closures (Canada)
Rank 4 PM for BC and SK |
PM |
| Harmonious4 | British Columbia | Rank 4 PM for BC and Ontario | PM |
| Trexer0 | South Coast & Kootenay, BC | Rank 4 PM for BC | PM |
Area/Country Manager Requests
To request Area Manager or Country Manager access, please see this thread: AM/CM Application
Unlock/Update Requests
Canada has its own forum area for unlock/update requests. Please make your requests here. The instructions for posting are in this sticky post.
Closures
Please report future planned road closures by following the instructions here: https://www.waze.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=358&t=311475
The closure system allows for complete (or directional, i.e. A->B only) closures to be reported. Partial closures (e.g. one of two lanes in a direction) should not be reported.
If you have a need for an immediate closure (aka emergency), whether due to a traffic incident or major road that had a missing closure, you can reach out through our Discord emergency-closures channel here.
This method is preferred over adding restrictions -- it is nearly immediate, and does not rely on a tile rebuild. The closure will also be visible in the app and on the livemap, in addition to avoiding routing through the segment.
Map Editing in Quebec
The province of Quebec has distinct issues to take into account when editing the map. The Montreal Area has unique issues of its own.
U-Turns
Practical application in Waze: restrict all U-turns in Canada unless there is a sign outright permitting them. This is primarily due to the dislike from users to receive a u-turn instruction when they have intentionally gone past the destination or turn instruction due to local (current) conditions.
Unlike in the US, this rule also applies to parking lot aisles.
British Columbia Statute: Motor Vehicle Act of British Columbia
Alberta Guidelines: A Driver's Guide to Operation, Safety and Licensing: Cars and Light Trucks and Use of HIghway and Rules of the Road Regulation Sections 28-31
Manitoba Statute: C.C.S.M. c. H60 The Highway Traffic Act: Section 191
Ontario Statute: R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 143. Highway Traffic Act
Quebec Statute: Highway Safety Code [1]. U-turns are allowed unless expressly forbidden by signs, but should still only be enabled after careful consideration of a particular location.
Newfoundland and Labrador Statute: RSNL1990 Chapter H-3: Highway Traffic Act, s116
Parking Lot Naming
U.S. guidance recommends that all parking lots be given names. The U.S. guidance breaks it down into four descriptor categories.
- Completely Generic
- Purpose Descriptive
- Location Descriptive
- Named
In Canada, we do not use the first category of completely generic parking descriptors such as “Parking - Starbucks”, “Parking - Costco”, etc.
The map clutter associated with generic parking names on the client is unacceptable to us. Until the client can suppress parking lot names from being displayed in the client, guidance for parking lots in Canada is to not include it.
Purpose Descriptive lots may be used when there is a lot restricted to non-visitors (e.g. an employee-only parking lot) that is separate from one for visitors. In this case, both may be named.
Location Descriptive lots are acceptable for large indoor malls (e.g. West Edmonton Mall) where different lots will lead to different entrances nearby certain amenities.
We also do not use the 🅿 [P] parking emoji anywhere in the naming of parking lot areas. Do not use, for example “ [P] lot”, “Red [P] Lot 24”, etc.
City Naming
To save space, only enter the name of the city. For example, "Toronto" not "City of Toronto", or for smaller places use "Springfield" not "Town of Springfield", "Village of Springfield", "Springville Township", "Regional Municipality of Springfield".
NEVER include the province in the City field. For example don't put in "Springfield, Qc" or "Springfield, On".
If you find a city that can't save without the province name (perhaps it changes when you save it, or generates other save error), please post a message in the applicable province's forum.
This applies to both primary names and alternate names -- the alternate city is assumed to be in the primary province and country.
Road Naming
Highways
Freeways, Minor, and Major Highways should be named in this format:
Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta,British Columbia & Territories
Hwy # (H is capitalized, the 'wy' in lower case, followed by a number) e.g. Hwy 16
Not 'Highway #' or 'HWY # (all caps)'.
Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and PEI
Rte # (R is capitalized, the 'te' in lower case, followed by a number) e.g. Rte 16
Not 'Route #' or 'RTE # (all caps)'.
- For ALL of Canada
- Where the signage indicates the highway based on a name ("Lougheed Hwy" or "Sooke Rd"), the name should be used. If, however, the signage refers to it by number primarily, that is to be the primary name, regardless of the local knowledge (e.g. the Sea-to-Sky Highway is signed as Hwy 99 and Wheeler Blvd. is signed as Rte 15). If a numbered highway has local named signage as above e.g. "Lougheed Hwy" or "Sooke Rd", the Hwy number must be used as an alternative name.
Big Green Signs
- Segment naming for ramps and wayfinders should follow the Big Green Sign (BGS) text with the following rules.
- Segment name should generally follow signage as read, i.e. left to right, top to bottom, except all numbered highways, should be shown first, followed by destination, followed by icons if applicable. All should be separated by a forward slash (“ / “), with a space before and after the slash. Most BGS layout follows this standard.
- Acceptable icons to use are “✈️” for Airport and “⛴️” for Ferry. You must copy and paste these exact icons as these are the only ones that work correctly with TTS. Only use icons if they are used on the BGS, i.e. do not use the icon to replace a spelled out destination such as “Toronto Pearson International Airport” or “Powell River Ferry”. Note that these icons do not work using French TTS.
- For more general information on BGS segment naming, please refer to the USA Wazeopedia sections for wayfinders and entry/exit ramps.
Abbreviations
Please follow the Canada Post street type abbreviation at all times even if it differs from in-real-life road signs.
See https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/PGaddress-e.asp#1437339 for full details in English and French.
Check to make sure that the Canada Post Abbreviation has a working TTS. If it does not, then please check the list of abbreviations below. Note that while Canada Post does not abbreviate "Place" in French, Waze does abbreviate it as "Pl", just like Canada Post does in English.
With regards to the use of ordinals, please avoid using them unless they are consistently on most street signs. "109 St" is preferred to "109th St," generally.
Additionally, please do not shorten names when they are integral to understanding the street name:
e.g. Bad: N St, S St, Ave Rd e.g. Good: North St, South St, Avenue Rd
It is recommended to use the Custom Canadian WME Validator Script. It will highlight all the incorrectly abbreviated street names.
Street Name Abbreviations
| Approved Abbreviation | Pronunciation | Do Not Use |
|---|---|---|
| Alley | Alley | Aly |
| Aut | Autoroute | Autoroute |
| Av | Avenue (French) | Avenue, Ave |
| Ave | Avenue (English) | Avenue, Av |
| Bend | Bend | Bnd |
| Blvd | Boulevard | Boulevard |
| Boul | Boulevard (French) | Boulevard, Blvd |
| Brg | Bridge | Bridge |
| Bypass | Bypass | By-pass |
| Carref | Carrefour | Carrefour |
| Ctr | Centre | Centre, Center |
| Ch | Chemin | Chemin |
| Cir | Circle | Circle |
| Circt | Circuit | Circuit, Cct |
| Close | Close | Cl |
| Common | Common | Common, Cmn |
| Conc | Concession | Concession |
| Crnrs | Corners | Corners,Cors |
| Crt | Court | Court, Ct |
| Cove | Cove | Cv |
| Cres | Crescent | Crescent, Cr |
| Crois | Croissant | Croissant, Croiss |
| Crossing | Crossing | Cross, Xing |
| Cds | Cul-de-sac | Cul-de-sac |
| Divers | Diversion | Diversion |
| Dr | Drive | Drive |
| Éch | Échangeur | Échangeur |
| Espl | Esplanade | Esplanade |
| Estate | Estates | Estates, Est |
| Expy | Expressway | Expressway, Expwy |
| Exten | Extension | Extension,Ext |
| Field | Field | Fld |
| Gate | Gate | Gt |
| Gdns | Gardens | Gardens |
| Glen | Glen | Gln |
| Green | Green | Grn |
| Grnds | Grounds | Grounds |
| Grove | Grove | Grv |
| Harbr | Harbour | Harbour, Harbor, Hbr |
| Hts | Heights | Heights |
| Hwy | Highway | Highway |
| Hghlds | Highlands | Highlands |
| Hill | Hill | Hl |
| Hollow | Hollow | Holw |
| Imp | Impasse | Impasse |
| Inlet | Inlet | Inlt |
| Island | Island | Is |
| Knoll | Knoll | Knl |
| Landng | Landing | Landing,Lndg |
| Lane | Lane | Ln |
| Lmts | Limits | Limits |
| Lkout | Lookout | Lookout |
| Manor | Manor | Mnr |
| Meadow | Meadow | Mdw |
| Montée | Montée | Mtée |
| Mount | Mount | Mt |
| Mtn | Mountain | Mountain |
| Orch | Orchard | Orchard |
| Pk | Park | Park |
| Pky | Parkway | Parkway, Pkwy |
| Passage | Passage | Psge,Pass |
| Ptway | Pathway | Pathway |
| Pines | Pines | Pnes |
| Pl | Place | Place |
| Plat | Plateau | Plateau |
| Plaza | Plaza | Plz |
| Pt | Point | Point |
| Port | Port | Prt |
| Pvt | Private | Private |
| Prom | Promenade | Promenade |
| Rg | Range | Range |
| Ridge | Ridge | Rdge |
| Rd | Road | Road |
| Rdpt | Rond-point | Rond-point |
| Rte | Route | Route |
| Rle | Ruelle | Ruelle |
| Sent | Sentier | Sentier |
| Sq | Square | Square |
| Subdiv | Subdivision | Subdivision |
| St | Street | Street |
| Terr | Terrace | Terrace, Ter, Tce |
| Tsse | Terrasse (French) | Terrasse, Terr |
| Thick | Thicket | Thicket |
| Tline | Townline | Townline |
| Trail | Trail | Trl |
| Trnabt | Turnabout | Turnabout |
| Villge | Village | Village, Vlg |
Dividing and un-dividing roadways
When to divide a two-way road (and when not to)
Generally, a road should be un-divided unless it meets any of the requirements for dividing a road. When initially reviewing whether to divide or "un-divide" (merge back together) a roadway, consider these points first:
- Consult the Local / Global Champ for your area of the country before dividing/un-dividing.
- The default representation for any roadway is a single 2-way segment, even if the physical roadway is divided. Dividing a roadway carries with it the burden of proof that the change will improve the usability and/ or simplicity of the Waze map.
- If a road is currently working with no problem reports, consider leaving it as is.
- Try to avoid switching roads back and forth between being divided and 2-way. For example, if most of the road is clearly divided and only parts would be considered a single two-way road, consider leaving it all divided. If only a small portion seems better off divided, consider keeping it all 2-way.
A road may be divided when any of the following conditions are met:
- It is an Interstate Highway (USA) or other Limited Access Highway using the "Freeway" road type,
- GPS tracks show a clearly definable and continuous gap (blank area) between the color-by-azimuth arrows at the 100m/500ft zoom level,
- multiple houses or businesses with no off-street parking are located directly on the street but are not accessible from the opposite direction of travel due to lengthy median, obstruction, or traffic control signage, or
- U-turns are required to properly make turns from public drivable road types that are blocked by a median.
A road should not be divided when:
- There is a curb or non-drivable median less than 5m wide between lanes of travel (see exceptions above).
- The non-drivable median is interrupted by a cross segment at most intersections.
- There is a center turn lane (any width) between directions of travel. Dividing this type of road creates problems when people turn from the middle lane because there is no road for the navigation to follow.
- It is possible and legal to make a driver side turn/u-turn everywhere along the road
- The objective is solely for visual appearance or to make the road match another visual source like Google Maps.
Remember that dividing and un-dividing roads each comes with its own set of problems. Each situation is unique and some issues may be more manageable with a single two-way road, and some may work fine with a divided road. Consider every aspect of routing, and carefully examine each junction before dividing or un-dividing. Regardless of whether you're dividing or un-dividing, remember that you might cause more problems than you solve and you might have to put it back the way it was before. Also remember that dividing and un-dividing each cause loss of some traffic data, which can result in poor Waze routing.
How to un-divide two one-way roads
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to merge two one-way roads back into a two-way road--which is why you should always give a lot of thought before dividing a road in the first place. And then think some more.
When you come across a road in your area that has been divided but shouldn't have been, you have some major map surgery ahead of you. Because of this high complexity in this process, it is recommended NOT to merge the two one-way roads UNLESS there are Update Requests related to the road caused by it being divided.
The process to un-divide a road (convert from two one-way roads to one two-way road) written below has been specifically designed to preserve the underlying address information embedded in the street segments. It is very important that you do not simply delete one of the two roads because that deletes the house address data on that part of the road. They would have to be looked up and manually added back to the new road.
The steps below show how to properly merge two one-way roads and preserve the underlying house numbers.
This is our example road segment. For the entire length of the road you need to:
1. Select the two segments to be merged and set them both to two-way.
2. Disconnect both segments from one side of the section being un-divided. It is best to disconnect alternate ends of each segment as shown.
3. Bring the two disconnected ends together in the middle (and realign the roads as necessary, removing the unnecessary segments as shown). You can remove the junction point you just created by selecting it and clicking the trash can icon or using the Delete key (Fn + Delete on Mac). Please note that the 2 aligned sections must have matching road information (name, type, direction, speed limit, elevation, and lock) or the junction point will not allow removal!
The following video was recorded by an editor merging two one-way roads so the addresses were preserved. This video follows the described steps above but may help seeing it happening in real time. Press the "enlarge button in the lower right corner to see it full screen.
Un-Dividing Roads and Preserve HN - Video Reference
Un-Dividing Roads WME 2018 - Video Reference
After BOTH sides are merged into one, you need to re-align house number to the street so that it lines up with driveway/entrance of the building the bubble is over.
- With the street/road selected, click ‘Edit house numbers’.
- From the house number editing view, you need to select each house number one-by-one.
- With the house number selected, you see the dashed line is attached to a circle on the street.
- Select the circle and move it along the road closest to the entrance of the driveway to the building.
Also be sure to check the following:
- Remove all "orphaned" junctions.
- Change the direction of the preserved segments to two-way.
- Check/fix the connectivity of all the roads already connect to the side you kept.
- Connect (and set connectivity) of all the roads that used to be connected to the other side.
- Make sure all the new two-way segments are connected.
- Adjust the geometry to move the two-way road segments to the middle of the road.
Now repeat the entire process for the remaining segments matching the two opposite from each other.
It isn't difficult once you have gone through the process a couple of times.
Caveat: If you decide to be clever and edit the road properties of multiple segments at a time, first familiarize yourself with the known problems with mass-editing. It can be done -- but if you're not careful, you'll find that all the road segments have reverted to Streets...in Alabama...and any alternate road names are lost.
Road Types
The USA has a standardized Functional Classification system which was adopted by Waze Champs as part of the method for classifying roads in Waze. Overall, this resulted in use of the highway types for arterial roads in urban areas, with the Primary Street type being available for collector-type roads.
Unfortunately, Canada does not have equivalent standardized government-published maps, but we can consider many of the same principles. This was first looked at in Edmonton, and seems to have been met with great success. With that in mind, we'd like to consider the following criteria for use within metropolitan areas and any city with a population exceeding ~40,000. In the event that the infrastructure of a smaller city has been designed with arterial routes, this may be adopted there, but will typically be less obvious.
Most local governments publish road classification maps, although there is little standardization between them so each municipality must be treated separately. Lists of existing conversions to Waze road types may be found on the province-specific wiki pages:
Trans-Canada Highway
Road type: Freeway
Primary name: Hwy ## (e.g. Hwy 1)
Alternate: Trans-Canada Hwy
There are parts of the TCH that travel through National/Provincial parks with frequent stops, reduced speed and undivided portions. These segments should be reduced to a Major Highway with Freeway routing until the speed increases, stops are minimized or the highway is divided again.
Roads in Cities
As a highway enters a city/town, it often becomes a named street, and sometimes would no longer fit the usual criteria for a "highway".
Due to a number of reasons, including long-distance routing issues, as well as appearance, the highway should remain as the same type it entered the city/town (except if it's a Freeway -- if it no longer fits the Freeway criteria, it may be downgraded to Major Highway with Freeway routing until it is again a Freeway).
The road type designation should follow the entire numbered route.
Freeways
In general, Freeways will have:
- Multi-Lane, divided road
- No cross traffic
- No stop lights (except for ramp meters)
- No stop signs
- No parking
- No stopping (except for toll booths, freeway access metering, movable bridges, and traffic congestion)
- Highest speed limits (relative to region)
- Some have minimum speed limits
- Limited access:
- Access restrictions vary by region but some typical restrictions are:
- No pedestrians
- No bicycles
- No mopeds
- No Animal-Drawn Vehicles
- Entrance ramps are typically designed with an acceleration zone so that cars can accelerate up to freeway speeds before merging into freeway traffic
- Exit ramps are typically designed with a deceleration zone so that traffic can exit the freeway at freeway speeds without obstructing traffic, then have sufficient distance to slow down before any turns
- Access restrictions vary by region but some typical restrictions are:
When considering the road type, use the above noted Freeway classification as a guideline, with the idea that a Canadian "Freeway" may lack one of the criteria (e.g. Whitemud Freeway in Edmonton is 80 km/h, but meets all other criteria; Hwy 16 west of Edmonton doesn't have ramps for every junction, but meets all other criteria)
Major Highway
Use for major arterial roads. Often these have 2-3 lanes (or more) in each direction, and may be structured to be turned into freeways eventually. Usually this means relatively few intersections, higher speed limit, and higher capacity.
Additionally, if a road enters an area as a Freeway, but then loses its limited-access situation, it will generally continue on as a Major Highway.
If only one type of arterial is used by the municipality on their maps, the decision between a "major" and a "minor" will be that of relative importance and capacity. Generally, a "major" will have 2+ lanes, whereas a minor may only have one. Local knowledge is also especially useful in determining this.
Minor Highway
Use for arterial roads. They are more direct than using collector roads and sometimes have slightly increased speed limits.
Primary Street
Suitable for collector roads through neighbourhoods and thoroughfares that aren't arterial.
Alleys and Laneways
Alleys and laneways should never be added to the map without approval from a Canadian Champ. In some cases (e.g. Toronto area), we have left the ones in place, but in most cases they should be removed.
This is particularly relevant to basemapped areas that included them -- e.g. Saskatchewan -- small towns should certainly have the alleyways removed.
In places where they are retained, they should have their city name set and the "None" box checked for Street Name. They should also be changed to Parking Lot street type. Do not use the Narrow Street type.
In considering whether one should be mapped, the primary question is "would it be appropriate for a stranger (e.g. pizza delivery guy) to park there and enter the residence from that side" - if the answer is "no", then they should definitely not be mapped.
Parking Lot Roads
Please read the Best Map Editing guidelines on parking lot roads. As of October 2018, North America has new guidelines: all parking aisles are to be mapped. US champs recommend enabling U-turns at the end of aisles, but this should not be done in Canada.
Locking Standard
Canada has active "Traffic Locks", these locks are based on usage from users. They are limited to a max rank of 4, but can be any rank below.
Segments that have restricted turns must be locked to a minimum Level 3.
If the current lock or traffic lock is higher than the minimum standards listed below, please don't lower the lock.
| Segment Type | Minimum locks |
|---|---|
| Freeway | 4 |
| Ramp | highest rank of connected segment |
   |
3 |
| Major Highway | 4 |
| Minor Highway | 3 |
| Primary Street | 2 |
| Street | 1 |
| :|:|:|:|:Railroad:|:|:|:|: | 4 |
Place Editing
PUR should be reviewed for accuracy, once approved all relevant information pertaining to the place should be entered. Please use each company's website to gather all the information you can. Once a place is complete please lock to rank 3.
This practice will help prevent users and editors from making incorrect changes to places we know are right.
Following are general standards for place locking in Canada:
| Place Type | Minimum locks |
|---|---|
| Airports | 4 |
| Hospitals | 4 |
| Major Tourist Attractions/Landmarks | 4 |
| Police/Fire Stations | 3 |
| Gas Stations | 3 |
Telephone Number Format for Waze Places
+1-NPA-NXX-XXXX
This number format allows mobile phones, regardless of their home network, to dial a number without having to modify the number first.
Place Naming
Place Naming in Canada should adhere to the following guidelines. Following the government agency naming guide is a list of businesses which are chains or franchises. Please use these name spellings when creating or updating a place.
Hospitals & Other Medical Services
Hospitals with Emergency Rooms are the only place type permitted to use the Hospital category. All other day clinics, surgical centres, doctors etc must use the Doctor / Clinic category. Other non core medical services services such as Naturopaths, physio-therapists, chiroprators, etc should use the Office category. Emergency Rooms must have a separate Waze Point Place with "ER/Urgence" prefixed in the primary name, for example:
- ER - Brampton Civic Hospital
- ER - St. Michael's Hospital
- Urgence - Hôpital de Verdun
Government Agencies
Police Stations: City, Agency followed by division name, for example:
- Toronto Police 12 Division
- Peel Police 22 Division
- OPP Collingwood Detachment
Fire Stations: City, Agency followed by station number, for example:
- Brampton Fire Station 221
- Toronto Fire Station 347
Nested Places
If a secondary business within another business location has a different category, contact numbers and opening times, it may be added to the map as a new (second) point place with the new primary category and relevant contact details and opening times. Typical examples of this type of nesting would be pharmacies or post offices within supermarkets or superstores.
Place Name Harmonization
If you don't find the business you're looking for, please use this form to submit the missing information.
A script is available to assist with Place Harmonization and has been localized for use in Canada.
View this list full-screen in Google Sheets
Fuel Retailers
For modification of fuel retailers in Canada, please use the Gas Stations Brands form.
When to Use Area or Point in Canada
We follow American guidance for places, including when deciding whether to use an area or point for a place. As a very rough guide, public buildings (hospitals, schools, police, fire, etc.) and gas stations should be areas and businesses should be points — but consult the rules to make sure.
But we also have specifically Canadian guidance on selecting area or point for places in the Waze Map Editor, as indicated in the Place Name Harmonization table.
Optional Area shall only be used after consulting local area managers on regional guidelines. The place must be a significant landmark with navigational value in the community. For example: a Tim Hortons in Hepburn, SK (population 500) is of significance. However, the same sized Tim Hortons is of zero significance in the Greater Toronto Area.
We do not want to impose hard & fast rules for the Optional Area category. Please use some judgement, we do not want to see wall-to-wall areas for every single building structure on the map.
Optional Area shall be landmarked to just the building structure only, do not include the parking lot area.
Fence-line Areas shall be landmarked from fence line to fence line to include all parking lots, roads, and anything associated with the property. Parking lot roads (PLRs), parking lots, and gas stations all serve the same purpose.
The Primary Category for a Place is used to determine whether to use a Point or Area.
| Parent | Category | Type | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car Services | Car Wash | Point | |
| Car Services | Charging Station | Point | |
| Car Services | Garage / Automotive Shop | Point | |
| Car Services | Gas Station | Fence-line Area | Many gas stations also have convenience stores and ATMs. Remember to use "Gas Station" as the primary category and the add any others which are relevant. Please see the Places/Gas Station article. |
| Car Services | Parking Lot | Both | There are very few parking lots which should be mapped at all. Please see the Places/Parking lot article. |
| Transportation | Airport | Fence-line Area | Special-handling |
| Transportation | Bridge | Area | Should only be use for bridges with significance: Peace Bridge, Golden-gate Bridge |
| Transportation | Bus Station | Point | |
| Transportation | Ferry Pier | Point | |
| Transportation | Junction / Interchange | Area | Will not be used in Canada. |
| Transportation | Seaport / Marina / Harbor | Area | Size-dependent. |
| Transportation | Subway Station | Point | |
| Transportation | Taxi Station | Point | |
| Transportation | Train Station | Point | |
| Transportation | Tunnel | Area | |
| Professional and public | Cemetery | Fence-line Area | |
| Professional and public | City Hall | Point | |
| Professional and public | College / University | Area | |
| Professional and public | Conventions / Event Centre | Area | Size-dependent |
| Professional and public | Courthouse | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Professional and public | Doctor / Clinic | Point | |
| Professional and public | Embassy / Consulate | Area | |
| Professional and public | Factory / Industrial | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Professional and public | Fire Department | Area | |
| Professional and public | Government | Optional Area | |
| Professional and public | Hospital / Urgent Care | Area | ONLY Hospitals, Emergency Rooms, and places offering Urgent Medical Care should use this category. ERs encompassed in a hospital Place Area should be Points.
Clinics, and Medical offices which do not offer urgent medical care for Walk-Ins should use the Doctor / Clinic or Office, (and any other appropriate) category as discussed above regarding Hospitals. |
| Professional and public | Information Point | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Professional and public | Kindergarten | Point | |
| Professional and public | Library | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Professional and public | Military | Area | |
| Professional and public | Offices | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Professional and public | Organization or Association | Point | |
| Professional and public | Police Station | Area | |
| Professional and public | Prison / Correctional Facility | Area | |
| Professional and public | Post Office | Point | |
| Professional and public | Religious Centre | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Professional and public | School | Fence-line Area | |
| Shopping and services | Arts & Crafts | Point | |
| Shopping and services | ATM | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Bank / Financial | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Bookstore | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Car Dealership | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Car Rental | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Convenience Store | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Currency Exchange | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Department Store | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Electronics | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Fashion and Clothing | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Flowers | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Furniture / Home Store | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Gifts | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Gym / Fitness | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Hardware Store | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Jewelery | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Laundry / Dry Cleaning | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Market | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Music Store | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Personal Care | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Pet Store / Veterinarian | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Pharmacy | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Photography | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Shopping Centre | Area | |
| Shopping and services | Sporting Goods | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Supermarket / Grocery | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. Must be a Point if it is part of larger shopping mall/center. |
| Shopping and services | Swimming Pool | Point | |
| Shopping and services | Toy Store | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Shopping and services | Travel Agency | Point | |
| Food and drink | Bakery | Point | |
| Food and drink | Bar | Point | |
| Food and drink | Coffee shop | Point | |
| Food and drink | Dessert | Point | |
| Food and drink | Fast Food | Point | |
| Food and drink | Food Court | Point | |
| Food and drink | Ice Cream | Point | |
| Food and drink | Restaurant | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Art Gallery | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Casino | Area | Large hotel-casinos perhaps could be Area Places. |
| Culture & entertainment | Club | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Game Club | Point | |
| Culture & entertainment | Movie Theater | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Museum | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Music Venue | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Performing Arts Venue | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Racing Track | Area | |
| Culture & entertainment | Stadium / Arena | Area | |
| Culture & entertainment | Theme Park | Area | |
| Culture & entertainment | Theater | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Tourist Attraction / Historic Site | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Culture & entertainment | Zoo / Aquarium | Area | Size-dependent |
| Other | Construction Site | Area | Do not map in Canada. |
| Lodging | Bed & Breakfast | Point | |
| Lodging | Camping / Trailer Park | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Lodging | Cottage / Cabin | Point | |
| Lodging | Hostel | Point | |
| Lodging | Hotel | Point | |
| Outdoors | Beach | Area | Do not map without a name. |
| Outdoors | Golf Course | Area | |
| Outdoors | Park | Area | Do not map without a name. |
| Outdoors | Playground | Area | Do not map without a name. |
| Outdoors | Plaza | Point | Unsure about mapping these at all |
| Outdoors | Promenade | Point | Unsure about mapping these at all |
| Outdoors | Scenic Lookout / Viewpoint | Point | |
| Outdoors | Ski Area | Area | |
| Outdoors | Sports Court | Point | Can be Optional Area see notes above. |
| Natural features | Farm | Area | Do not map without a name. |
| Natural features | Forest / Grove | Area | Only map official provincial/national forests, not every stand of trees. |
| Natural features | Island | Area | |
| Natural features | River / Stream | Area | Use only if water itself is visually obvious to drivers on nearby roads. Do not remap features already present in the built-in Waze water layer unless that layer is incomplete or inaccurate. Map only the typical extent of visible water, not adjacent open space, greenbelt, culvert, meadows, or flood plain. If the river/stream is too narrow to map conveniently with an Area Place, it should not be mapped at all. |
| Natural features | Sea / Lake / Pond | Area | Use only if water itself is visually obvious to drivers on nearby roads. Do not remap features already present in the built-in Waze water layer unless that layer is incomplete or inaccurate. Map only the typical extent of visible water, not adjacent beaches or land. If the feature is too small to map conveniently with an Area Place, it should not be mapped at all. |
Speed Limits
Please refer to the USA Speed Limit guidelines.
Temporary Construction Speed Limits
Do not change the speed limit due to temporary construction; exceptionː a local editor who takes the route on a daily commute and assumes full responsibility of updating the speed limit.
Ramp Speed Limits
For ramps with only advisory speed limit signs, use the highest speed limit of the in or out segment.
Emergency Vehicle Roads 
"Emergency and Authorized Vehicles Only" are to be treated as Non-drivable roads. These are found primarily through the median of divided highways to connect opposite direction lanes.
- Recommended not to map them in Canada.
Ferries
The ferry road type is now working in Waze. If a ferry segment is misbehaving, adjust it slightly and save to force a tile rebuild. Canada will adopt US guidelines with respect to ferries.
- If the ferry has a toll, mark it as a toll road.
Update Requests
Where appropriate, reply to users with the standard replies provided by the URC-E script. If 4 days pass without a reply from the user, send the reminder message. Close the UR if a further 4 days pass without a reply from the user. We always try to get a response from the reporter to try to fix the issue whenever possible.
Technical Information
Please see the article Technical Information.