Last updated: May 2026
Welcome to Maplestime. These Terms of Service set out the rules for using our website. By visiting maplestime.com, reading our content, subscribing to our newsletter, or interacting with us in any way, you agree to these terms.
If you don’t agree with anything below, please don’t use the site. We tried to write this in plain language so you actually know what you’re agreeing to.
1. About these terms
These Terms of Service are a legal agreement between you and Maplestime Media (“Maplestime,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). They govern your use of:
- The maplestime.com website
- Our newsletter, The Maple Briefing
- Our social media accounts and any content we publish on them
- Any communication you have with us through our contact channels
If you use Maplestime, you accept these terms. If we update them, the new version applies from the date listed at the top of this page.
2. Who can use Maplestime
You can use Maplestime if you are at least 13 years old. If you are between 13 and the age of majority in your province (18 or 19 depending on where you live in Canada), you need permission from a parent or legal guardian to subscribe to our newsletter or submit any content.
By using the site, you confirm that the information you give us (when subscribing, commenting, or submitting tips) is accurate.
3. Our content
Everything published on Maplestime, including articles, images, graphics, videos, design elements, logos, and code, is the property of Maplestime Media or used under license from the original creators. This work is protected by Canadian copyright law and international copyright treaties.
What you can do with our content:
- Read it and share article links freely on social media
- Quote short excerpts (under 100 words) with proper attribution and a link back to the original article
- Print individual articles for personal, non-commercial use
What you can’t do without our written permission:
- Republish entire articles on other websites
- Reproduce our content in newsletters, books, courses, or other publications
- Use our content to train AI models or build datasets
- Scrape the site systematically using automated tools
- Use our logo, brand name, or visual identity for any commercial purpose
If you want to license or republish our content, contact us at [email protected]. We respond to legitimate requests quickly.
4. Your content
If you submit comments, news tips, photos, videos, or any other content to Maplestime (whether through our website, email, or social media), you grant Maplestime a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, edit, publish, and distribute that content as part of our editorial work.
You confirm that:
- The content is your own original work, or you have the right to share it
- It doesn’t infringe on anyone else’s copyright, privacy, or other rights
- It isn’t defamatory, harassing, threatening, or illegal under Canadian law
We may edit, refuse to publish, or remove any user-submitted content at our discretion. We may also forward content to relevant authorities if it appears to violate the law.
5. Comments and community standards
If commenting is enabled on our articles, we expect basic decency. We remove comments that contain:
- Personal attacks, harassment, or hate speech
- Threats or incitements to violence
- Spam, promotional content, or repeated link-dropping
- Defamatory statements
- Disclosure of private information about other people
- Content that violates Canadian law
We reserve the right to ban repeat offenders without notice. Commenting is a privilege on Maplestime, not a right.
6. News tips and source protection
When you submit a news tip to [email protected], you understand that:
- We may use the information you provide in our reporting
- We will protect your identity if you ask for confidentiality
- We may need to verify your information with other sources before publishing
- We are not obligated to publish every tip we receive
We take source protection seriously. Details of our source protection commitments are outlined in our Editorial Policy.
7. Advertising and sponsored content
Maplestime displays advertisements through Google AdSense and direct partnerships. We also publish sponsored content from time to time.
All sponsored content is clearly labelled as “Sponsored” or “Promoted Content” so you can tell paid placements apart from editorial work. We do not allow advertisers to influence our editorial coverage. Details about how we handle sponsorships are in our Editorial Policy.
If you click on an advertisement and end up on a third-party site, that company’s terms and privacy policies apply, not ours. We are not responsible for the content, products, or services offered by advertisers.
8. Affiliate disclosures
Some articles on Maplestime contain affiliate links. When you click on certain product recommendations and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Affiliate relationships never influence our editorial recommendations. We only link to products we believe genuinely serve our readers. Articles containing affiliate links include a disclosure statement.
9. Links to third-party sites
Maplestime articles often link to external websites for sourcing, context, and reader convenience. We don’t control these third-party sites and we’re not responsible for:
- The accuracy of information on linked sites
- The privacy practices of linked sites
- Any content, products, or services offered by linked sites
- Any harm resulting from your use of linked sites
When you click an external link, you’re leaving Maplestime and entering territory governed by someone else’s terms.
10. No warranties
We work hard to make Maplestime accurate, reliable, and well-functioning. But we provide the site and its content “as is” without warranties of any kind, either express or implied.
We don’t guarantee that:
- The site will always be available or error-free
- All information is current, complete, or accurate at the time you read it
- The site is free from viruses, bugs, or harmful components
- The information will meet your specific needs or expectations
News is time-sensitive. Information accurate at the time of publication may become outdated. We update articles when we can, but you should always verify critical information through primary sources before acting on it.
11. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by Canadian law, Maplestime Media is not liable for:
- Indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the site
- Loss of profits, data, business opportunities, or reputation
- Damages caused by reliance on information published on Maplestime
- Damages caused by third-party advertisers, affiliates, or linked sites
Our total liability to you, for any claim arising from your use of the site, will not exceed CAD $100.
This limitation applies regardless of the legal theory under which damages are claimed (contract, tort, negligence, or otherwise).
12. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold Maplestime Media, its writers, editors, contractors, and partners harmless from any claims, damages, or legal costs arising from:
- Your use of Maplestime in violation of these terms
- Your violation of any law or third-party rights
- Content you submit to Maplestime that breaches these terms
13. Termination
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to Maplestime at any time, without notice, if you violate these terms. We may also remove content, ban accounts, or block IP addresses at our discretion.
You can stop using Maplestime at any time. If you’ve subscribed to our newsletter, you can unsubscribe through the link in any email.
14. Changes to these terms
We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. When we do, we’ll update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Significant changes will be announced through a notice on the site or in our newsletter.
Continued use of Maplestime after changes are posted means you accept the updated terms. If you don’t agree with changes, please stop using the site.
15. Governing law and jurisdiction
These Terms of Service are governed by the laws of the Province of Manitoba and the federal laws of Canada applicable in Manitoba.
Any dispute arising from these terms or your use of Maplestime will be resolved exclusively in a court in Manitoba, Canada. You agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.
16. Severability
If any part of these terms is found to be unenforceable under Canadian law, the rest of the terms remain in full effect. The unenforceable section will be modified to come as close as possible to the original intent within the bounds of the law.
17. Entire agreement
These Terms of Service, together with our Privacy Policy and Editorial Policy, make up the complete agreement between you and Maplestime regarding your use of the site. They replace any previous agreements between us on this subject.
18. Contact
Questions about these Terms of Service?
- General inquiries: [email protected]
- Legal and copyright concerns: [email protected]
We aim to respond to legal inquiries within five business days.
Thank you for reading Maplestime. We’re glad you’re here.