Policies For External Links

The City of Oshawa's website provides links to other information sources such as government, community group and non-profit organization websites, whose content reflects the goals and objectives as outlined in the City’s Community Strategic Plan.

Links to business websites will be permitted on the City’s website as outlined in the City’s Facility and Event Sponsorship, Advertising and Donation Policy and Program where a company has provided a substantial donation or sponsorship to a municipal project, initiative or service and in return recognition and acknowledgement of the partnership will be provided on the City’s website. Name recognition will be provided on the Sponsor Page, located under Corporate Communications and Marketing. Links will also be allowed based on a significant contribution level and at the discretion of the Corporate Web Committee.

Links to third party websites does not imply any endorsement or approval of the organization or its products by the City of Oshawa. Links that direct users to external websites will have an icon beside the link indicating that it is a link to an external site. When leaving the City’s site, users are encouraged to read the privacy statement of each website that they visit.

External links will be approved at the discretion of the Corporate Web Committee based on the following criteria:

• The linked site must contain information and/or images that are consistent with the Community Strategic Plan’s goals and objectives.
• The linked site content must be consistent with Council policies and strategic directions.
• The organization represented by the link must have all accounts with the City of Oshawa in good standing.
• The linked site must not charge a fee or require visitors to leave personal information (e.g. name, e-mail, etc.) to access information.
• The City will not be responsible in any way for the content of any linked site.

The City reserves the right to deny linking to websites that portray, promote and/or condones stereotyping of any groups or any forms of discrimination prohibited by the Ontario Human Rights Code. The City will not permit linking to websites whose content and/or reputation could prove detrimental to the City’s images, for example, organizations whose products or public image may be deemed to be “sensitive” (e.g. tobacco, alcohol companies). In the event an election campaign, the City will also terminate any associated links with provincial and/or federal representatives.

Procedure

Submitting a new website link is done by following the navigation to the Links page and clicking on the “Add Your Site” at the bottom of the page (www.oshawa.ca/linkrequest.asp). Submissions are reviewed by the Content Coordinator (Service Oshawa) prior to posting to ensure that the links are appropriate for the City’s website.