Acceptable Use Policy

Version 1.0 · Effective July 28, 2026

AjaxPickering.ca is a community site for Ajax and Pickering. This policy sets out what is not allowed here, what happens when someone breaks the rules, and how to challenge a decision you think is wrong.

It forms part of our Terms of Service. Breaking it can cost you your account.

The Short Version

Treat people the way you would if you were standing in front of them at the Ajax Community Centre. Most of what follows is that idea written out at length.

What Is Not Allowed

Harming Other People

• Harassment. Repeated unwanted contact, pile-ons, or following someone around the site to keep at them.
• Threats. Threatening violence against anyone. Uttering threats is an offence under Criminal Code s. 264.1.
• Hate speech. Promoting hatred against an identifiable group. See Criminal Code s. 319.
• Child sexual abuse material. Absolutely prohibited. We report it to Cybertip.ca and to police, as the law requires, without warning.
• Intimate images without consent. Sharing intimate images of someone without their consent. See Criminal Code s. 162.1 and Ontario's Protecting Victims of Non-Consensual Distribution of Intimate Images Act, 2024.
• Doxxing. Publishing someone's home address, workplace, phone number or other identifying details without their consent.
• Encouraging self-harm. If you are worried about someone, report the post rather than replying to it.

Dishonesty

• Impersonation. Pretending to be another person, a business you do not represent, or an official body.
• Scams and fraud. Including advance-fee schemes, fake rentals, and payment-off-platform pressure in the marketplace.
• Fake reviews. Reviewing your own business, a competitor, or a place you have never been.
• Election misinformation. Knowingly false claims about voting procedures, dates, locations, or whether a candidate is running.

Spam And Commercial Abuse

• Unsolicited commercial messages, including anything that would breach Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation.
• Using direct messages to advertise to people who did not ask.
• Repetitive posting, engagement farming, or automated posting.

Marketplace

Prohibited items are listed in the Marketplace Terms and include weapons, drugs, prescription medication, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, live animals, counterfeit or stolen goods, recalled products, scalped tickets and adult services.

Other People's Work

Do not post material you do not have the right to post. See our copyright page.

The Platform Itself

• Scraping, bulk downloading, or automated collection of content or member data.
• Probing, scanning or testing our security without written permission.
• Circumventing suspensions, bans, or blocks placed by other members.
• Deliberately overloading the site.

What Happens When Someone Breaks The Rules

We aim for the least drastic thing that solves the problem. In rough order:

1. A word. Most first problems are a misunderstanding.
2. Content removal. The post, listing or comment comes down.
3. Feature restriction. Losing direct messages, or the marketplace, while keeping the rest.
4. Suspension. The account is closed to use, temporarily.
5. Termination. The account is closed permanently.

We skip straight to the end for child sexual abuse material, credible threats of violence, and coordinated fraud. There is no warning ladder for those.

Repeat Breaches

We look at patterns, not just incidents. Several small breaches can add up to a suspension where none of them alone would. Creating a new account to get around a suspension is itself a breach.

If You Think We Got It Wrong

Write to memberservices@ajaxpickering.ca with your account name and what happened. A person will look at it again, and where we can we will tell you what triggered the decision.

We are a small team, so this is a human reading an email rather than a formal tribunal. We will not always agree with you. We will always read it.

Reporting Something

Use the report link on any post, profile, listing or message. Reports go to a moderation queue with a copy of the content as it was when you reported it, so editing a post afterwards does not change what we review.

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 first. Report to us second.

A Note On Moderation

We are a local community site, not a public square, and we make judgment calls. We try to make them consistently and to explain them when asked. We would rather remove one post and keep a member than lose people because the place became unpleasant.