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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

If you are an Area Manager that covers part of Canada, or a Country Manager that does a lot of work in Canada, please add yourself to this list. See comments via an "Edit" of this section to add yourself.

List of Area Managers

Username	Primary Areas Managed	Comments	Forum PM
doctorkb	Western Canada (Alberta & BC)	Waze Global Champ, Rank 6 CM for Canada; AM for Edmonton, Prince George, and various places in between	PM
hmarian	Ontario	Waze Global Champ, Rank 6 CM for Canada; AM for Greater Toronto Area and the surrounding communities	PM
manoeuvre	Ontario	Waze Global Champ, Rank 6 CM for Canada; AM for Greater Toronto Area	PM
Kayos_On_The_Road	British Columbia	Waze Global Champ, Rank 6 CM for Canada, AM for British Columbia	PM
Webs101	Quebec	Waze Local Champ (Canada), Rank 6 CM for Canada	PM
EECGeek	Ontario / Quebec, Canada	Waze Local Champ (Canada), Rank 5 CM for Canada and US; AM for Ottawa/Gatineau, Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec	PM
MushyMedic	Manitoba	Waze Local Champ (Canada) / Rank 5 Manitoba Manager	PM
restless_in_nb	Atlantic Canada and Gaspe Peninsula	Waze Local Champ (Canada), Rank 5 CM for Canada, AM for Atlantic Canada and Gaspe	PM
SkiDooGuy	Saskatchewan	Waze Local Champ (Canada) / Waze Local Champ (US) / Rank 5 CM for Canada and US; AM for Saskatchewan	PM
phil-mtl	Quebec	Waze Local Champ (Canada), Rank 5 CM for Canada, AM for Quebec	PM
Taxy57	Quebec	Rank 5 CM for Canada; AM for Quebec	PM
Got2BeKD	Manitoba	Rank 5 Country Manager Primarily working in Manitoba & Saskatchewan.	PM
Dry_B0nes	Alberta	Rank 5 CM for Canada; AM for BC, Alberta and Ontario	PM
kkarkid	Ontario	Rank 4 Ontario Manager	PM
codgerd	British Columbia	Rank 4 AM for Greater Vancouver, BC & Saguenay-Lac St-Jean, QC	PM
IamtheLexx	Ontario	Rank 4 Ontario Manager	PM
ChevyLuke1	Ontario	Rank 4 Ontario Manager	PM
Aztek985	Ontario	Rank 4 Ontario Manager - Based in London region	PM
alexs001	Okanagan Valley, BC Newfoundland and Labrador	Rank 4 AM	PM
CoolCanuck	Ontario some rural Northern Ontario Fox Valley, SK Edmonton, AB Newfoundland And Labrador	Rank 4 AM in Central Ontario	PM
mhh60	Southwestern ON	Rank 4 AM in Windsor / Essex County & Sarnia / Lambton County, ON	PM
PsstDizel	York Region	Rank 4 AM North / West GTA	PM
e-sarge	Durham Region	Rank 4 AM based in Ontario	PM
amoyer1974	Hamilton, ON	Rank 4 AM	PM
GregVA3MGR	Ontario, Canada	Rank 4 AM	PM
ColinsGoat	Atlantic Canada & some rural Saskatchewan	Rank 3 AM Atlantic Canada and some rural Saskatchewan.	PM
ShaneYYZ	Halton Region	Rank 3 AM based in Ontario	PM
BryceCampbell	Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island, & BC Hwy Corridors	Rank 3 AM	PM
mtylerb	AB, SK and BC's Eastern "Boot"	Rank 3 AM in Central AB	PM
Trexer0	South Coast & Kootenay, BC	Rank 3 AM	PM
Rampage_Rick	Various rural BC	Rank 3 AM	PM
LaughMask	Ottawa, Ontario	Rank 3 AM	PM
Harmonious4	Various BC and Alberta	Rank 3 AM	PM
Heyjaypay	South Okanagan	Rank 2 AM	PM
TheGoodAndHolyLord	Barrie, ON	Rank 2 AM	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.

Closures

Please report future planned road closures via this form.

This form allows for complete (or directional, i.e. A->B only) closures to be reported. Partial closures (i.e. one of two lanes in a direction) should not be reported.

Major Events (e.g. Commonwealth Games, Tour d'Alberta, etc.) should still be dealt with using the Waze Major Traffic Events form.

This method is preferred over adding restrictions -- it is nearly immediate (processed several times per day by Waze staff), 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. 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

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]

Newfoundland and Labrador Statute: RSNL1990 Chapter H-3: Highway Traffic Act, s116

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
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

Road Types

Within Metropolitan Areas

In the US, the DOT has a Functional Classification system which had been adopted by Waze Champs as the method for classifying different road types. Overall, this has resulted in use of the highway types for arterial roads in the metropolitan areas, with the Primary Street type being available for collector-type roads.

Unfortunately, Canada does not have the same standardized government-published maps to adopt here, 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.

If the local government has published maps that define arterial and collector routes, please use those to set the street types.

Changing of Types

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

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 W 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.

Outside Metropolitan Areas

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.

Quebec Roads

   

Autoroutes, or limited access highways, such as the 20/40/55 or any *40 are considered freeways

The big exception to this rule is Autoroute 50 which is still a freeway, even though some small parts of it are not limited access and some are only two lane with no divider.

The official road map of Quebec should be consulted to determine the status of provincial routes. The map is available in French and English.

   

Major highways on the map are in depicted in blue and should be blue in Waze.

   

Minor highways in green on the map should be in green.

A very general rule of thumb is that 100-series highways are major while 200 and 300-series highways are minor. This is not completely accurate, however, so please consult the official map.

Ontario Roads

   

All 400 series highways are in purple, as they are limited access freeways. Also other highways, for example the 174 just east of Ottawa, are in blue as they are limited access.

   

Certain Major highways are two lane but are still in blue because they collect the minor highways, and many county roads and we need to distinguish them, examples are the 174 east of Ottawa/Orleans, the 17, the 138, 38 the 7 in eastern Ontario.

   

County roads may be in green if they have higher speed limits than most main roads around them. Not all county roads should be designated "Minor Highway" -- grid roads should be addressed like Alberta's Range / Township Roads.

Manitoba Roads

Freeway

   

Currently in Manitoba, only Hwy 1 (including the highways Hwy 1 splits into), like Hwy 100 and 101 (perimeter Hwy in Winnipeg) are listed as Freeway.

Major Highway

   

Major Highway is used for Highways designated as Provincial Trunk Highways, that are not considered a Freeway. These Provincial Trunk Highways are numbered from 1 to 99 for mainline routes and 100 to 199 for loop/spur routes (only four currently exist).

Minor Highway

   

These Provincial Roads are numbered from 200 to 632. Some of these routes are gravel for part or all of their length. As Waze lacks a road type for all-weather gravel roads, the consensus is to use "Unpaved" for gravel highways in regions where paved alternative routes are available for many destinations but to use "Minor Highway" in regions where there are no paved alternatives.

Rural Municipal Roads

Township and range roads are maintained and signed by the local rural municipality. These roads should use locally signed names where available as the primary name. Names such as Rd 74 N can be used as an alternate name, or as the primary name when a specific road name is not known, or the road does not have a name. Unless specifically in a city, town or village, these roads should have "No City" selected at this time.

Township and Range roads are not highways and should be (at highest) Primary Street.

Saskatchewan Roads

Freeway

   

Highway 1, Highway 16 (where twinned), Highway 11, Circle Drive in Saskatoon, Ring Rd in Regina.

Major Highway

   

Highways 1 - 99 when not at Freeway standards. These highways connect major areas of the province.

Minor Highway

   

Highways 100 - 399, and 900 - 999. These highways connect cities and towns to other highways.

Primary Street

   

Highways 600 - 799. These are grid roads (6xx run North/South, 7xx run East/West). While not as sturdy as other Highways, these roads will stand up to truck traffic and should be preferred over other rural roads.

Other Rural Roads

Other Rural roads should be entered as Unpaved, as these should only be used for routing if no other option is easily available.

Alberta Roads

   

Freeways in Canada need to follow a different standard than in the US.

Currently in Alberta, only ring roads (perimeter roads around a city), Hwy 1 (including the highways Hwy 1 splits into), Hwy 2, Hwy 16, and any highways with limited access (e.g. highways with no traffic lights, and access is exclusive to ramps entrances).

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 W of Edmonton doesn't have ramps for every junction, but meets all other criteria)

   

   

Generally highways in the 1–216 series are major highways (except when they are freeways), and highways in the 500–999 series are minor highways. However, a highway with a letter suffix in its number should generally be one type lower than the corresponding highway without the letter suffix. For example Hwy 2A is major highway, one type lower than Hwy 2 (freeway), and Hwy 13A in Camrose is minor highway, one type lower than Hwy 13 (major highway).

Township and Range Roads

Township and range roads are maintained and signed by the local municipal district (MD). Some MDs have chosen a numbering format with a hyphen before the last digit (e.g. “Township Rd 38-4”) but most have chosen a hyphenless format (e.g. “Range Rd 15”). In WME, the road names should follow the local format as used on the signs. Abbreviate “Rd” but leave “Township” and “Range” unabbreviated.

Township and Range roads are not highways and should be (at highest) Primary Street.

List (incomplete) of MDs that use hyphens: Clearwater County, Lacombe County, Mountain View County, Special Area #2, Stettler County, MD of Taber

British Columbia Roads

   

Freeways in Canada need to follow a different standard than in the US.

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 W of Edmonton doesn't have ramps for every junction, but meets all other criteria)

   

   

Highways are defined by the provincial numbering scheme.  Any numbered route will be either a Freeway, Major Highway or Minor Highway, regardless of the use of stop lights or the path it takes through a city/town.

Additionally, streets that are named "Highway" (e.g. Barnet Highway in Burnaby) may also receive a highway classification.

Differentiation between a major and minor highway is largely based on its destination and importance of the route.  Also, a highway with a letter suffix in its number should generally be one type lower than the corresponding highway without the letter suffix. For example Hwy 19A in Courtenay is major highway, one type lower than Hwy 19 (freeway), and Hwy 4A in Coombs is minor highway, one type lower than Hwy 4 (major highway).

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.

Minimum Road Locking Rank Standard

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 prevent app trusted users and most IGN editors from making incorrect changes to places we know are right. App trusted users and IGN editors are rarely rank 3.

Following are general standards for place locking in Canada:

Place Minimum Locking Rank Standard

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

• NPA is the Area Code
• NXX is the prefix
• XXXX is the 4 digit block

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

Here is the Canadian guidance on selecting Area or Point for Places in the Waze Map Editor.

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 state/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.jpg

"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 7 days pass without a reply from the user, send the reminder message. Close the UR if a further 7 days pass without a reply from the user.

Technical Information

Please see the article Technical Information.