The No Paid Placement Policy is the operational expression of Constitution §2 principle 3 (Visibility is not for sale). It defines the surfaces where ranking is determined by relevance, proximity, accuracy, and community signals only — never by money. It also defines what is allowed: clearly labelled sponsorships under the Advertising and Sponsorship Policy, civic partnerships under the Municipal Partner Policy, and category-neutral premium features that do not change anyone’s ranking.
It applies to Map.ca’s product, partnerships, sales, and search teams, and to any external entity attempting to influence ranking. The line is bright: no money for position, no money for visibility, no exceptions for partners.
Requirements
- Rank search, discovery, and category results by relevance, proximity, accuracy, and community signal only.
- Disclose every surface where sponsorship appears, with a clear sponsorship label.
- Route promotion requests to the allowed mechanisms (sponsorship, civic partnership, category-neutral premium).
- Publish ranking criteria in plain language.
Prohibitions
- Do not accept money in exchange for higher ranking.
- Do not accept money in exchange for category placement.
- Do not accept money in exchange for search position.
- Do not let sponsorship blur into ranking.