Welcome to the Google Local Guides program—and a warm Canadian welcome to our growing community of explorers, critics, photographers, and place-sharers! The Canadian community and the Local Guides program invite you to contribute your local knowledge—by writing reviews, uploading photos, adding missing places, introducing roads, or fact-checking on Google Maps—and bringing more experiences, stories, and support to local businesses within Canada.
My name is Karen Alves Gaspar, and I’ve been with Local Guides for seven years, currently at level 10. I’m Brazilian and have lived in Canada for three years. I’m passionate about this country and every park, playground, and community within it, and today I invite you to learn more about our community and Canada.
Currently, our community is actively supported by the following Local Guides:
Terry PG - Level 10: Terry specializes in uncovering local cafés, patios and hidden-gem eateries—especially in smaller communities. His reviews bring warmth and real-world insight to places often overlooked.
Falguni – Moderator: A guide who enjoys exploring multicultural hubs, independent businesses and sharing those experiences in detail.
Erna LaBeau – Level 9: Erna brings focus to neighbourhood parks, walking trails and accessible public spaces. Her contributions highlight how everyday outdoor experiences matter, and she helps make them more visible to others in the community.
Kayimi – Level 10: Kayimi focuses on transport access, public spaces and accessibility features—making sure that places are not only interesting, but also welcoming and navigable for all.
Why Canada matters
Canada is vast — from the Atlantic shores of Newfoundland and Labrador, across the prairies, up into the Arctic, across to the Pacific coast — it spans six time zones and a huge range of landscapes and climates.
This vastness goes hand in hand with multiculturalism: Canada welcomes people from many backgrounds, celebrates Indigenous heritage, and thrives on the blending of cultures, languages, cuisines, arts and traditions. In everyday life you’ll see it in neighborhood’s, festivals, restaurants, galleries and community events.
Areas of strength
Society & culture: A mix of Indigenous cultures, settler history, immigrant communities — creating a rich cultural mosaic.
Food & cuisine: From Punjabi markets in Vancouver, to French-influenced cuisine in Québec, to Atlantic seafood shores — Canada’s food scene reflects its diversity.
Arts & creativity: Canada boasts a vibrant arts scene: music, visual arts, film, theatre — enriched by multiple cultural influences and local stories.
Geography & environment: From tundra to temperate rainforest, from urban skyscrapers to remote wilderness — the physical scale supports many different lifestyles and experiences.
Important dates for the Canadian population
Here are key dates many Canadians recognize (though we acknowledge there are many more and that individual communities will mark other dates relevant to them):
July 1st — Canada Day: Celebrating the constitution of Canada (1867) and the country’s national day.
June (Third Monday) — National Indigenous Peoples Day: Celebrates and honours the heritage, cultures and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
February – 15th — National Flag of Canada Day: Marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Canadian flag (1965).
The Monday preceding May 25th — Victoria Day: A federal public holiday commemorating Queen Victoria’s birthday and often considered the unofficial start of summer.
Other cultural heritage days: e.g., Asian Heritage Month (May), Black History Month (February), Hispanic Heritage Month (various provincial observances) — highlighting how cultural diversity is formally recognized.
This is just a summary, and a demonstration of a little of what Canada has to offer within the Local Community, and the countless aspects that we can introduce into the daily lives of visitors and residents of this country.
Remember that this post is part of a series of posts in collaboration with @AdrianLunsong ( Countdown to Community Spotlight 2025! #10YearsOfLocalGuides ),and other amazing posts that happened throughout the month of November.
Thank you for joining our network of Canadian Local Guides. Every review you write, every photo you share, every place you add or edit helps others—and enriches the map of our country. We look forward to seeing your unique local voice shine across Canada’s vast and beautiful landscape.
Note:
Below is the schedule for our team’s upcoming activities. Stay tuned to learn even more about Canada and to participate in this interaction with us:
Mon., Nov. 3rd: Introduction to Canada… @GasparKaren
Tue., Nov. 4th: Favorite places to visit in Canada and Detroit, Michigan. @Erna-LaBeau
Wed., Nov. 5th: Iconic Canadian foods. @TerryPG
Thu., Nov. 6th: Seasonal activities/destinations. @Kayimi
Fri., Nov. 7th: Free Friday (Post whatever you want about Canada)
Sat., Nov. 8th: Quiz about countries/states - Virtual meeting. “A brief guide to Canada” @TerryPG
Sun., Nov. 9th: Virtual meeting - Summary and reflections.
To keep you updated on all of this month’s posts, here are the links to the other team members:
• Welcome to the Local Guides Canada Team by @GasparKaren
• Favourite Places to Visit In Canada & Detroit Michigan - Niagara Falls Canada by @TerryPG
• Welcome to Detroit, Michigan by @Erna_LaBeau
• My recollections of Detroit Michigan by @TerryPG
• Canadian Iconic Foods by @TerryPG
• Virtual Meet-up: Trivia Quiz (Study guide)
• Fall in Canada with a touch of French, maple leaves and apples by @LuisMGonzalez
• Canada Through the Seasons: From City Streets to Wild Landscapes by @Kayimi
Welcome aboard! 
and confirm a lot on what I’ve heard from friends living there..