These guidelines provide direction for making rating decisions in Canada for the Search and Autocomplete evaluation tests. These guidelines are intended to supplement the global Search and Autocomplete guidelines and therefore only cover those specific areas where additional context is needed to make accurate and consistent rating decisions in Canada.
As a large proportion of the Canadian population lives near the border with the United States, it is quite common and expected for the intent of queries to include results in the United States. Therefore, as a Canadian rater, it is important to be comfortable and confident rating results in Canada as well as in the United States.
Given the bilingual nature of Canada, the language of the query should not always be assumed to match the language of the test locale (en_CA = English, fr_CA = French), and therefore results can match through French for an English test locale and through English for a French test locale. This is most relevant in the case of a category query, where matching can occur through the name or category of the result. Consider both types of matches as possible intents of the user.
Search result for query [Guichet] – en_CA | Satisfies User Intent? |
Guichet Desjardins 888 Rue Saint-Jean, Ville de Québec QC | Yes – Result matches through name “Guichet” and category ATMs. Consider either means of matching as possible intent |
CIBC Cash Dispenser 115 Rue Dalhousie, Quebec City QC | Yes – Result matches only through category ATMs. Consider this type of match a possible user intent. |
Missing articles and prepositions
It is common for users to type street names without articles and prepositions. In most cases, the inclusion or omission of these type of “additional” components should not have an impact on the user intent of the query.
Search result for query [Boul Concorde] | Satisfies User Intent? |
Boul de la Concorde O Laval, QC | Yes – Rate relevance by distance and prominence |
Different numerical forms
Different forms of numbers can usually be treated interchangeably when matching query intent.
Result for query [11302 107th Ave] | Satisfies User Intent? |
11302 107 Ave NW Edmonton, AB | Yes – Rate relevance by distance and prominence |
Result for query [N Concession Rd 5] | Satisfies User Intent? |
5th Concession Rd N Flinton, ON | Yes – Rate relevance by distance and prominence |
Queries with a dash
In Canada, dashes or hyphens are generally used between the unit number and street number of an address, but may also be used between the street number and street name when the street name is also a number (most common in Alberta). User queries may use a variety of formats that may cause some confusion as to what address components the query tokens represent. As a general rule, the street name (which is normally the most
easily identified component) will always follow the street number and not the unit number. Use the following examples as a guide to help understand the correct intent in these cases:
Query | Intended Address | Explanation |
220 – 42 Avenue SE Calgary | 220 42 Ave SE Calgary, AB T2G 1Y4 | Query includes dash between street number (220) and street name (42 Avenue SE). No unit number included in address. |
200 – 4700 49 AVE | 200-4700 49 Ave Stony Plain, AB T7Z 2Y3 | Query includes dash between unit number (200) and street number (4700). |
181, 250–6 Ave SW Calgary | 181-250 6 Ave SW Calgary, AB T2P 3H7 | Query uses a comma to separate unit number from street number and a dash between the street number and street name. |
9940-106 Street – 100 Sterling Place Edmonton | 100-9940 106 St NW Edmonton, AB T5K 2N2 | Query places unit number (100) at end of address line followed by the building name “Sterling Place”. All address line components separated by dash. |
2-5108-52 Street | 2-5108 52 St Red Deer, AB T4N 6Y4 | Query components separated with dashes; query starts with unit number, then street number, then street name. |
A common query in the province of Quebec, especially Montreal, is simply “metro”. This can refer to the Metro brand grocery store, or Montreal’s subway system known locally as the “metro”. Whether the primary intent is a subway station or a grocery store will depend on the implied location intent of the query. If the implied location intent is within the Montreal area covered by the metro network, metro stations should be considered primary intent while Metro brand grocery stores should receive a -1 demotion for secondary intent. If the implied location intent is outside of this area, such as a user in Saint-Jérôme, Metro grocery stores should not receive a demotion. For metro stations that are outside of the island of Montreal, consider the proximity of the user or fresh viewport to the nearest metro station. For example, a user in Brossard is more likely to be looking for a grocery store, while if they are in Longueuil near the university, the metro station is the most likely intent. The implied location is based on the fresh viewport location, or the user location in cases of a stale viewport.
Queries of just a few characters often have a very high level of ambiguity. The intent of a number query like [900] could be a unit number (unit numbers in Canada re often placed at the beginning of the address line), an address number, or a POI name, like ‘900 Degree Pizza’ in Calgary. When there is such a high level of ambiguity, there can be many
potential types of matches to a query.
Results for query [900] | Considered a match?* |
900 McKenzie Dr SE Calgary AB T2Z 1Z1 | Match |
900 Degree Pizza 2829 14 St SW, Calgary AB | Match |
900-640 8 Ave SE Calgary AB T2P 1G7 | Match |
Township Rd 900 Deadwood, AB | Match |
1900 Heritage Dr SW Calgary AB T2V 2X3 | No Match |
*Determining a match is only the first step in rating the Relevance, next is deciding if the result is Primary Intent, Secondary Intent or Matches query but not user intent to determine the initial rating and then, assigning a final rating according to the distance and prominence. User and viewport location are essential in these following steps.
For queries containing special characters, the suggestions should match the special characters. In contrast, a query lacking special characters will match to results both with and without special characters.
Results for query [Vê] | Considered a match?* |
vêtements (query suggestion) | Match |
vétérinaires (query suggestion) | No Match |
Vêtements Patrick 6631 Av Papineau, Montréal QC | Match |
Av des Vétérinaires Saint-Hyacinthe | No Match |
Results for query [Ve] | Considered a match? |
vêtements (query suggestion) | Match – fr_CA only |
vétérinaires (query suggestion) | Match – fr_CA only |
Vêtements Patrick 6631 Av Papineau, Montréal QC | Match |
Av des Vétérinaires Saint-Hyacinthe QC | Match |
Similar to Search, the language of the query should not always be assumed to match the language of the test locale, and therefore results can match through French for an English test locale and through English for a French test locale. Make these connections only if the match can be determined to be a probable intent.
Result for query [Guic] – en_CA | Considered a match?* |
CIBC Branch with ATM 230 Front St E, Toronto ON | Match – With few alternative matches to “Guic”, it is possible to match through the French category guichets (ATMs). |
Result for query [E] – en_CA | Considered a match? |
No Match – with many available matches to | |
Sobeys 777 Bay St, Toronto ON | “E”, a match through the French category épiceries (groceries) should not be considered user intent. |
1.2.3. Matching Street or Address
Result for [Boul Concorde] | Considered a match?* |
Boul de la Concorde O | Match – Queries with street name may omit |
Laval, QX | articles and prepositions |
Results for query [N Concession Rd 5] | Considered a match? |
5th Concession Rd N Flinton, ON | |
Match – Different forms of numbers can
11302 107 Ave NW Edmonton AB | usually be treated interchangeably when matching query intent. |
Results for query [130-12] | Considered a match? |
130-12 Smythe St Saint John NB E2L 5G5 130 Twelfth St Etobicoke ON M8V 3H2 | Match – Different forms of numbers can usually be treated interchangeably when matching query intent. |
It is common for individual chain businesses to include information in their name that describes the specific location of that chain business. When the descriptor does not provide additional information on what goods and/or services may be available it should be considered optional. When the descriptor provides important information on that unique location, it should be rated Partially Correct if missing.
Results for query [Earls] | Name Accuracy |
Earl’s Yaletown 1095 Mainland St, Vancouver BC | Correct |
Earl’s 1095 Mainland St, Vancouver BC | Correct – The “Yaletown” descriptor does not indicate any difference in the goods/services offered at this location and therefore its inclusion in the result name is optional. |
Results for query [Lululemon Lab] | Name Accuracy |
Lululemon Lab 50 Powell St, Vancouver BC | Correct |
Lululemon 50 Powell St, Vancouver BC | Partially Correct – The “Lab” descriptor indicates this location is different from other Lululemon stores and must be included for the name to be rated Correct. |
For the test locale fr_CA, if diacritics or special characters are missing or incorrect in a POI name the correct rating is Partially Correct.
Component in Canada | Example | Rating Interface |
Street Number | 2525 West Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1W9 | & Street Number |
Unit/Apt | 200-4922 48 St, Yellowknife NT X1A 1N2 | & Unit/Apt |
Street Name | 3895 Boul Saint-Laurent, Montréal QC H2W 1X9 | 0 Street Name |
Locality | 226 2nd Ave S, Saskatoon SK S7K 1K9 | *i Locality |
Sub-Locality[1] | 5 Acton Ave, North York ON M3H 4G6 | & Locality |
Province/Territory | 1707 Grafton St, Halifax NS B3J 2C6 | & Region/State |
Postal Code | 95 Water St, St. John’s NL A1C 1A5 | & Postal Code |
Country | Québec, QC Canada | 0 Country |
10922 153 St NW, Edmonton, AB | 3i Address does not exist | |
High level – See section 1.5 | Take Five Café 107 13e Rue E, Vancouver Nord, BC | 0 Language/Script issue |
Census Division[2] | Thompson-Nicola BC | Locality |
Census Subdivision** | Thompson-Nicola E BC | Locality |
In all above described cases, rate Incorrect – Locality for incorrect or missing component.
This issue will be elaborated further in section 1.4.3 Locality
** Census divisions and census-subdivisions should not be used as address components and their use as an address locality should be marked as incorrect locality. However, census divisions and sub-divisions can be co-extensive with administrative divisions and so the use of a census [sub-]division as an address locality can be correct if the census [sub-]division happens to be the same as the appropriate administrative division for that address.
Street numbers in Canada are usually represented by a single number, however, occasionally a street number can have a suffix by adding on a letter or fraction. If the suffix is incorrect or missing, consider this an issue with the Street number and not the Unit/Apt.
Results for [East York Comm] | Official Address | Address Accuracy |
East York Community Centre 1081 Pape Ave Toronto | 1081 1/2 Pape Ave Toronto | Incorrect – Street Number |
East York Community Centre 1081 1/2 Pape Ave Toronto | 1081 1/2 Pape Ave Toronto | Correct |
Results for [Kate’s] | Official Address | Address Accuracy |
Kate’s Town Talk Bakery 206 Queen St S Mississauga | 206C Queen St S Mississauga | Incorrect – Street Number |
Kate’s Town Talk Bakery 206C Queen St S Mississauga | 206C Queen St S Mississauga | Correct |
As previously stated, the standard format for Canadian addresses is to have the unit/apt number at the beginning of the address line and connected to the address number by a hyphen or dash. It is also correct to have the unit number at the end of the address line.
When at the end of the address line, a unit number must be designated by a type (e.g. Unit, Suite, Apt) or with #. Both ‘Unit’ and ‘#’ are universal designators and can stand in for a different designator. Any other designator used must match the official designator to be correct.
The following examples demonstrate what is Correct and Incorrect for the address 400-47 Clarence St, Ottawa, ON.
Display Address | Address Accuracy |
400-47 Clarence St Ottawa, ON K1N 9K1 | Correct |
47 Clarence St Suite 400 Ottawa, ON K1N 9K1 | Correct |
47 Clarence St Ste 400 Ottawa, ON K1N 9K1 | Correct |
47 Clarence St Unit 400 Ottawa, ON K1N 9K1 | Correct |
47 Clarence St #400 Ottawa, ON K1N 9K1 | Correct |
47 Clarence St Apt 400 Ottawa, ON K1N 9K1 | Incorrect – Incorrect unit designator for this address |
#400-47 Clarence St Ottawa, ON K1N 9K1 | Incorrect – # should not be included when unit number is at start of address line |
Suite 400-47 Clarence St Ottawa, ON K1N 9K1 | Incorrect – Designator should not be included when unit number is at start of address line |
Verifying the correctness of localities in Canadian addresses can at times be particularly difficult. For rating purposes, some flexibility is provided and depending on the circumstances a sub-locality, locality or above-locality can be considered correct. Follow the rules below to make a determination on the correctness of an address locality:
Correct.
Appendix 3 at the end of this document provides a complete list of province specific terminology for geographic divisions and if they should be considered sub-localities, localities, or above-localities.
See the table below for further examples of Correct and Incorrect address localities:
Address Locality | Correct Rating | Explanation |
Vancouver | Correct | Vancouver is an administrative municipality in BC and is the appropriate locality for any address within its borders |
Toronto | Correct | Toronto is a single-tier municipality in ON with no formal administrative divisions below it. Any address within the borders of Toronto may use the address locality Toronto |
Etobicoke | Correct | Etobicoke is a district (sub-locality) in Toronto. Any address within Etobicoke may use either Etobicoke or Toronto as the address locality |
Gloucester | Correct | Gloucester is a district (sub-locality) in Ottawa. Any address within Gloucester may use either Gloucester or Ottawa as the address locality |
York Region (or Regional Municipality of York) | Incorrect | The Regional Municipality of York is an upper-tier municipality in ON. Any address within the York Region will also exist within a lower-tier municipality such as the City of Vaughan or Town of Aurora. In these cases, the lower-tier municipality should always be used. |
Cumberland, Subd. A | Incorrect | This is a census-subdivision and not a true administrative division of NS. It does not represent any formal administrative structure and should be rated as incorrect. |
Squamish-Lillooet D | Incorrect | This is a census-subdivision and not a true administrative division of BC. It does not represent any formal administrative structure and should be rated as incorrect. |
Squamish-Lillooet | Correct | While a census-division, this is also a regional district of BC (above-locality). Where there is no municipality below the regional district level, the regional district may be used as the address locality |
Yale | Correct | Yale is an unincorporated town (sub-locality) in BC. Because it is unincorporated (not a formal municipality) the regional district Fraser Valley may also be used as the address locality |
Special Area No. 4 | Correct | Special Areas are a specific type of rural municipality in Alberta and can be considered a locality. Alberta is divided by a single level of municipalities which include different types of both rural and urban municipalities. |
Postal codes in Canada follow the format A0A 0A0, such as H4V 1T3. When included,
Postal Codes must be complete (6 digits) to be considered Correct. Any postal code that is
incomplete or not matching an official source should be rated Incorrect. Postal codes are not expected in Autocomplete, but if they are present they must be accurate
For some large buildings or complexes with a single address number and many unit numbers, there may be separate postal codes assigned to different unit numbers of the address and the address without a unit number. As long as the postal code of the result matches one of the postal codes assigned to the address number, the postal code should be considered Correct.
For the test locale fr_CA, if diacritics or special characters are missing or incorrect for any address components the correct approach is to rate the appropriate components Incorrect
In general, the addresses for most POIs will use the standard format of address number and street name with optional unit number. However, it is also possible for POIs to be listed with a non-standard format, such as an intersection or mile marker. As long as these addresses can be verified with official sources, they should be rated Correct. If the nonstandard address format cannot be verified as correct, but no alternative address could be found, the correct rating will be Can’t Verify. If the non-standard address format does not match official sources, which show a different address, the rating will be Incorrect with the missing or incorrect components selected.
Sub-locality results must include the province or territory the locality is located in. If the sub-locality exists within a larger municipality or other administrative division, the result may include this larger division, however, this is optional and not required.
Display Result | Address Accuracy | Explanation |
Etobicoke, Toronto, ON | Correct | Displayed result includes the larger admin division of Toronto for the result Etobicoke. The inclusion of Toronto in the Search result is optional. |
Etobicoke, ON | Correct | The displayed result does not include the larger admin division Toronto but can still be rated Correct. |
Etobicoke, Toronto | Incorrect | Displayed result is missing the province and is therefore Incorrect. |
This chapter discusses language/script issues for business and address results. These guidelines are specifically targeting the languages of French and English for Canada. Any results outside of Canada or returned in a language other than French or English should follow the rules in the global guidelines.
Expected Language for POI/Business Results
The global guidelines define the criteria for the expected language of a Business/POI Name when it matches:
While Canada is a bilingual country of English and French, the prevalence of each language is heavily location dependent, and most French speaking areas are within the province of Québec. For rating purposes then, consider the expected language in the region of Québec as French (and only French) and the expected language for the region representing the rest of Canada as English (and only English). Apply this simple delineation only when determining the expected language through the third bullet point above; that is, by matching to the expected language of the region in which the result is located. There may still also be matches through the language of the test locale or query which must also be considered.
In addition, it must be determined if a Business/POI Name has both French and English localizations, or only one or the other. To determine the appropriate localizations for a POI name, check official sources to determine if only an English or French name is used, or if localizations are provided for both. If only an English or French name is used, this should be the language of the result with no variations (e.g. Canadian Tire is never “Pneu Canadien”). If both English and French forms of the name exist, use the global guidelines and location of result to determine if the language of the result is expected or unexpected.
Examples:
User/Viewport Location: Montreal, QC
Results | Rating | Explanation |
BMO – Banque de Montréal 1400 Rue de Bleury Montréal QC H3A 2J1 | Rate Normally | Result name is in French |
BMO Bank of Montreal 1400 Rue de Bleury Montréal QC H3A 2J1 | Result name is in unexpected language or script | Result name is in English when the test locale, query and language of result region are all French |
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Canada) 1155 Boul René-Lévesque O Montréal QC H3B 2K4 | Rate Normally | No French localization is provided for this bank and therefore English is not an unexpected language |
BMO Bank of Montreal 200 King St W Toronto ON M5H 3T4 | Rate Normally | This result is in Toronto and therefore in a result region of English. |
Query: Parks
User/Viewport Location: Ottawa, ON
Results | Rating | Explanation |
Parc de la Confédération Elgin St, Ottawa ON | Result name is in unexpected language or script | Result name is in French when test locale, query and language of result region is in English |
Jacques Cartier Park 285 Laurier St Gatineau, QC J8X 3W9 | Rate Normally | Result name in English matches the test locale and query language |
Parc Jacques-Cartier 285 Laurier St Gatineau, QC J8X 3W9 | Rate Normally | Result name in French matches the language of the result region |
Expected Language for Addresses Results
Address results should not be translated in Canada for most cases. The few exceptions are:
Expected language for Category results in Autocomplete
Category suggestions should match either the test locale or the query. In ambiguous situations assume the language of the query matches the language of the test locale.
Results for query [Ban] – fr_CA | Language Issue? |
banks (query suggestion) | Result name is in unexpected language or script |
banques (query suggestion) | No – Rate Normally |
Result for query [Bank] – fr_CA | Language Issue? |
banks (query suggestion) | No – Rate Normally |
banques (query suggestion) | No – Rate Normally |
1.6.2. Address Incorrect – Language/Script issue
As stated in the above section, select Result name is in unexpected language or script when a POI name for a POI/business result is in an incorrect/unexpected language or when the address of an address result is in an incorrect/unexpected language.
In contrast, when the address of a POI/Business result is in an incorrect/unexpected language, rate the result as normal with address accuracy selected as Incorrect Address and Language/Script issue.
The below examples of an address in British Columbia (region = English) applies these stated rules. If the address components are displayed in French, the correct rating will be:
• For address result: Check the Result name is in unexpected language or script
checkbox, no further rating required.
• For POI result: Incorrect Address – Language/Script issue
Result | Result Type | Correct Rating |
107 13th St E North Vancouver BC | Address | Rate Normally |
107 13e Rue E Vancouver Nord BC | Address | Result name is in unexpected language or script |
Take Five Café 107 13th St E, North Vancouver BC | POI | Rate Normally |
Take Five Café 107 13e Rue E, Vancouver Nord BC | POI | Incorrect Address – Language/Script issue |
Remember there are specific exceptions for certain street types, localities and provinces described under Expected Language for Addresses Results of section 1.6.1
As a very large and diverse country, do not expect any single resource or tool to provide complete and accurate coverage throughout the entire country. While the postal service provides address data in most major towns and cities, many addresses in smaller towns exist outside of the system and must be verified by other means. Do not rate an address Incorrect simply because it is not recognized by Canada Post. These cases require further research to determine the correct rating. Please perform research by checking official webpages, social media, government sources, etc.
The table below is a complete list of expected address components to be provided by result type in Canada. In most cases the expected components for different result types match the global guidelines, and those cases where there is greater potential for confusion are included under section 1.4 of these country specific guidelines. Results outside of Canada will have different expectations for which components should be provided for each result type. Note that if optional components are present they must be accurate.
Essential Address Components | |||||||
Result Type | Street Number | Unit/Apt | Street Name | Locality | Region/State | Postal Code | Country |
Full Address | Yes | Yes (if applicable) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (not expected for AC) | Optional (not expected in AC) |
Street | Not Expected | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not Expected | Optional (not expected in AC) | |
Locality | Not Expected | Yes | Yes | Not Expected | Optional (not expected in AC) | ||
Province | Not Expected | Yes | Not Expected | Yes | |||
Postal Code | Not Expected | Yes | Yes | Yes | Optional (not expected in AC) | ||
Country | Not Expected | Yes | |||||
POI | Yes (per official address) | Yes (per official address) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (not expected for AC) | Optional (not expected in AC) |
POI with no expected address | As per Global Guidelines | Yes | Yes | Not Expected . Oct°^ | Optional (not expected in AC) | ||
Natural Feature | Not expected – rated as incorrect Other Issue if included | Optional (as long as the feature falls within the area) | |||||
The following section displays the format each result type should follow.
POI/Business
Mandatory Components | Example | |
Result Name | [Result Name] | Tim Hortons |
Address Details | [Street Number][Street Name] | 309 Old Airport Rd |
[Locality][Province][Postal Code][3] | Yellowknife NT X1A 3T3 | |
[Country][4] | Canada |
* Country is optional for results within test locale
** Postal Code is optional in AutoComplete
POI/Business with unit number:
Mandatory Components | Example | |
Result Name | [Result Name] | Cactus Club |
Address Details | [Unit Number]–[Street Number][Street Name] | 178–317 7 Ave SW |
[Locality][Province][Postal Code]** | Calgary AB T2P 2Z1 | |
[Country]* | Canada |
* Country is optional for results within test locale
** Postal Code is optional in AutoComplete
Residential Address
Mandatory Components | Example | |
Result Name | [Street Number][Street Name] | 2057 W 13th Ave |
Address Details | [Street Number][Street Name] | 2057 W 13th Ave |
[Locality] [Province][Postal Code]** | Vancouver BC V6J 2H8 | |
[Country]* | Canada |
Additional Formats/ Special cases
Residential addresses with unit number should be displayed with same address format as business/POI with unit number.
Street
Mandatory Components | Example | |
Result Name | [Street Name] | Boul Charest O |
Address Details | [Street Name] | Boul Charest O |
[Locality][Province] | Québec QC | |
[Country]* | Canada |
* Country is optional for results within test locale
Sub-locality
Mandatory Components | Example | |
Result Name | [Sub-Locality] | Ville-Marie |
Address Details | [Sub-locality] | Ville-Marie |
[Locality] [Province] | Montréal QC | |
[Country]* | Canada |
* Country is optional for results within test locale
Postal Code
Mandatory Components | Example | |
Result Name | [Postal Code] | K1A 0A4 |
Address Details | [Locality][Province][Postal Code] | Ottawa ON K1A 0A4 |
[Country]* | Canada |
* Country is optional for results within test locale
Locality
Mandatory Components | Example | |
Result Name | [Locality] | Moncton |
Address Details | [Locality][Province] | Moncton NB |
[Country]* | Canada |
* Country is optional for results within test locale
Above-Localities (except Provinces and Territories)
Mandatory Components | Example | |
Result Name | [Above-Locality] | Central Kootenay |
Address Details | [Above-Locality][Province] | Central Kootenay BC |
[Country]* | Canada |
* Country is optional for results within test locale
Provinces and Territories
Mandatory Components | Example | |
Result Name | [Province] | Nova Scotia |
Address Details | [Province] | Nova Scotia |
[Country] | Canada |
Country
Mandatory Components | Example | Comments | |
Result Name | [Country] | Canada |
This is a complete list of administrative divisions and other geographic division types for each Canadian province and territory. This list can be used to clarify the meaning of specific terminology for division types in each province or territory. It is primarily intended to be helpful for research purposes where the division type of a specific feature is not known. In the rating interface these are all the Locality.
Name | Type | Example | Comments |
Hamlet | Sub-Locality | New Norway | |
Urban Service Area | Sub-Locality | Fort McMurray | A type of Hamlet recognized as being equivalent to a City |
Townsite | Sub-Locality | Redwood Meadows | |
Municipal District | Locality | Red Deer County | |
Specialized Municipality | Locality | Municipality of Crowsnest Pass | |
Improvement District | Locality | Improvement District No. 4 | Associated with protected or restricted areas, e.g. Waterton Lakes National Park |
Special Area | Locality | Special Area No. 2 | |
City | Locality | Calgary | |
Town | Locality | Okotoks | |
Village | Locality | Gadsby | |
Summer Village | Locality | Kapasiwin | |
Métis Settlement | Locality | Buffalo Lake |
Indian Government . District | Locality | Sechelt Indian Government District | |
|---|---|---|---|
Island Municipality | Locality | Bowen Island | |
Mountain Resort Municipality | Locality | Sun Peaks | |
Resort Municipality | Locality | Whistler | |
Town | Locality | Comox | |
Village | Locality | Zeballos | |
Regional District | Above-Locality | Okanagan-Similkameen |
Name | Type | Example | Comments |
Unincorporated Community | Sub-Locality | Moose Lake | |
Northern Community | Sub-Locality | South Indian Lake | |
Settlement | Sub-Locality | Pine Creek | |
Hamlet | Sub-Locality | Waldersee | |
City* | Locality | Winnipeg | |
Town* | Locality | Churchill | |
Village* | Locality | Dunnottar | |
Rural Municipality | Locality | Gimli | |
Local Government District | Locality | Pinawa | |
Region | Above-Locality | Interlake |
*In Manitoba, Cities, Towns and Villages are all types or Urban Municipalities
Name | Type | Example | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
Unincorporated Settlement | Sub-Locality | Bay du Vin | Also called Communities |
Local Service District
| Sub-Locality | Laplante |
Special Service Area | Sub-Locality | Greater Lakeburn | |
City | Locality | Moncton | |
ot* Town | Locality | Riverview | |
Village | Locality | Memramcook | |
Regional Municipality | Locality | Regional Municipality of Tracadie | |
Rural Community | Locality | Beaubassin East | |
Parish | Locality | Saint David | |
County | Above-Locality | Charlotte County |
Name | Type | Example | Comments |
First Nation (Designated Authority) | Sub-Locality | Sambaa K’e | |
City | Locality | Yellowknife | |
Town | Locality | Hay River | |
Village | Locality | Fort Simpson | |
Hamlet | Locality | Tuktoyaktuk | |
Charter Community | Locality | Tsiigehtchic | |
Community Government | Locality | Behchokǫ̀ | |
Administrative Region | Above-Locality | Dehcho |
Name | Type | Example | Comments |
Community | Sub-Locality | Mushaboom | Also known an Unincorporated Settlements |
Village | Sub-Locality | Bible Hill | Unlike most other Canadian provinces, ‘Villages’ in Nova Scotia are not incorporated entities and should be considered sub-localities |
Town | Locality | Wolfville | |
Regional Municipality | Locality | Halifax | |
County Municipality* | Locality | Annapolis | |
District Municipality* | Locality | Argyle | |
Historical County | Above-Locality | Yarmouth |
*In Nova Scotia, County Municipalities and District Municipalities are both specific types of Rural Municipalities
*There is also a possibility to establish a Town or Village as a form of municipality in Nunavut, however,
currently there exists no Towns or Villages in Nunavut
Name | Type | Example | Comments | ||
Unorganized Area | Sub-Locality | Unorganized North Algoma District | |||
Unincorporated Communities | Sub-Locality | Village of Chesterville | These communities can include terms like “Village” or “Town” in name, but should not be considered equivalent to legal ‘Towns’ or ‘Villages’, which have undergone a formal process of incorporation | ||
Municipality | Locality* | Chatham-Kent | |
City | Locality* | Toronto | |
Town | Locality* | Ajax | |
Township | Locality* | Havelock-Belmont- Methuen | |
Village | Locality* | Burk’s Falls | |
Regional Municipality | Above-Locality | Region of Peel | |
County | Above-Locality | Simcoe County | |
District | Above-Locality | Nipissing District | Municipalities within Districts are considered Single-Tier Municipalities |
*All localities in Ontario can either be designated as Single-Tier (no administrative divisions above) or Lower-Tier (exists within a Regional Municipality or County). There are also Separated Municipalities, which are a sub-set of Single-Tier municipalities that exist independently from a surrounding County, but are considered part of the County for census-purposes only.
Name | Type | Example | Comments |
Unincorporated Community | Sub-locality | Belmont | |
City | Locality | Charlottetown | |
Town | Locality | Stratford | |
Community | Locality | Belfast | Unlike most other Canadian Provinces, communities in PE are incorporated and should be considered equal to localities as opposed to sub-localities |
Resort Municipality | Locality | Resort Municipality of Stanley Bridge, Hope River, Bayview, Cavendish and North Rustico | |
Township | Above-Locality | Lot 1 | |
County — | Above-Locality | Prince County |
Parish | Above-Locality | St. Patrick’s Parish | |
3.11. Saskatchewan | |||
Name | Type | Example | Comments |
(Unincorporated) Hamlet | Sub-Locality | Lac La Plonge | |
Special Service Areas | Sub-Locality | Yellow Creek | |
Organized Hamlets | Sub-Locality | Amsterdam | |
Northern Settlement | Sub-Locality | Uranium City | |
City* | Locality | Saskatoon | |
Town* | Locality | Zealandia | |
Village* | Locality | Cadillac | |
Resort Village* | Locality | Wee Too Beach | |
Rural Municipality | Locality | Bjorkdale No. 426 | |
Northern Town† | Locality | La Ronge | |
Northern Village† | Locality | Pelican Narrows | |
Northern Hamlet† | Locality | Stony Rapids | |
Northern Saskatchewan Administration District | Above-Locality | Northern Saskatchewan Administration District | |
*In Saskatchewan, Cities, Towns, Villages and Resort Villages are all types of Urban Municipalities †Northern Towns, Northern Villages and Northern Hamlets are all types of Northern Municipalities (note that unlike a Hamlet, a Northern Hamlet is an incorporated municipality). All Northern Municipalities exist within the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District
Aboriginal local municipal units* | Locality | Kangiqsualujjuaq | |
Municipalité de canton (CT) | Locality | Clermont | |
Municipalité de cantons unis (CU) | Locality | Latulipe-et-Gaboury | |
Municipalité (M) | Locality | Beaumont | |
Municipalité de paroisse (P) | Locality | L’Épiphanie (Parish) | |
Ville (V) | Locality | Québec | |
Municipalité de village (VL) | Locality | Pointe-Fortune | |
Territoire équivalent à une MRC (TÉ) | Above-Locality | Eeyou Istchee Baie- James | |
Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) | Above-Locality | Le Haut-Richelieu | |
Région administrative | Above-Locality | Bas-Saint-Laurent |
*Includes Réserve indienne, Terre réservée aux Cris (1-A) (TC), Terre de la catégorie I pour les Inuits (TI), Terre réservée aux Naskapis (1-AN) (TK), Municipalité de village cri (Terre 1-B) (VC), Municipalité de village naskapi (Terre 1-BN) (VK), and Municipalité de village nordique (VN)
Routing in Canada will generally be straightforward, however as transportation law is managed at the provincial level, U-Turn laws will vary. U-Turns are prohibited where signs are posted indicating this is the case, as well as where visibility is limited such as on curves and hills. This section provides specific details on U-Turn restrictions for each province beyond the basic. Note that localities may have bylaws that are different from the provincial law. When in doubt, refer to provincial law.
Province or Territory | Situations where U-Turns are prohibited |
British Columbia | • Light-controlled intersections |
Alberta | •Light-controlled intersections •On roadways between intersections •At intersections where one or more roadways accesses a public or private parking lot •On a hill where visibility of other traffic is under 150m |
Saskatchewan | •Where the road is too narrow to perform the maneuver in one swing •Light-controlled intersections |
Manitoba | • N/A |
Ontario | • Near a railway or tunnel |
Quebec | •Light-Controlled intersections •Where performing a U-Turn would cross a solid median •On roadways outside of intersections |
New Brunswick | • N/A |
Nova Scotia | • N/A |
P.E.I. | • Light-Controlled intersections |
Newfoundland | • N/A |
Yukon | • Light-Controlled intersections |
Northwest Territories | •Light-Controlled intersections •On roadways outside of intersections •At alleyway intersections |
Nunavut | • N/A |
Incorrect and missing sub-locality is reported as “Locality” (checkbox): In ↑
Canadian addresses there is only a single component for locality. Most commonly, the locality used will be the municipality where the address is located (e.g. Saskatoon). Occasionally, the locality used in an address will actually be a sub-locality (e.g. North York). In other words, the single locality used in an address will be a neighbourhood or community within a larger municipality (North York is a district of Toronto). It is important to understand that the sub-locality is not an “additional” or “optional” component that can be added to an address, rather, in these cases, the sub-locality stands in place of the locality component. ↑
Postal Code is optional in AutoComplete ↑
Country is optional for results within test locale ↑