Publish Municipal Datasets & Get API Keys in Québec

Technology and Data Quebec 3 Minutes Read · published February 12, 2026 Flag of Quebec

Québec, Quebec maintains an open data program for municipal datasets that helps departments, researchers and vendors access city information. This guide explains how to prepare datasets, publish them on the City of Québec open data portal, request API keys, and follow municipal compliance steps for privacy, licensing and bylaw considerations.

Where to publish and who manages it

Use the City of Québec open data portal to host datasets and expose APIs; the portal lists dataset schemas, publishing requirements and API endpoints donnees.ville.quebec.qc.ca[1]. The city’s digital services or Service des technologies de l'information coordinates publication policies and technical onboarding for external partners Ville de Québec - Données ouvertes[2].

Prepare datasets with clear field definitions and no personal data before publishing.

Publication checklist

  • Prepare a data dictionary and CSV/GeoJSON export with stable identifiers.
  • Remove or anonymize personal information in accordance with privacy rules.
  • Confirm update cadence and include a last-updated timestamp in metadata.
  • Choose an open licence as required by the city portal (check portal guidance).
  • Contact the city digital services team for onboarding and API key requests.[2]

Penalties & Enforcement

The City of Québec’s open data pages describe publication procedures but do not list specific monetary fines or administrative penalties for publishing datasets incorrectly; such amounts are not specified on the cited pages donnees.ville.quebec.qc.ca[1]. Enforcement typically focuses on removing or correcting non-compliant datasets, protecting personal information, and administrative directions from the responsible service.

  • Fines or monetary penalties: not specified on the cited page.
  • Escalation (first/repeat/continuing offences): not specified on the cited page.
  • Non-monetary sanctions: removal of datasets, takedown orders, formal directions by the city IT or legal services.
  • Enforcer and inspection: Service des technologies de l'information or the office named on the portal; report issues via the city contact channels.[2]
  • Appeals/review: not specified on the cited pages; consult the city contact for review timelines.
If your dataset contains personal information, stop and consult the city’s privacy guidance before publishing.

Applications & Forms

The portal provides technical onboarding instructions and API key request procedures on its developer or contact pages; a specific public form number or fee schedule is not published on the portal pages consulted and is therefore not specified on the cited pages. Contact digital services directly to learn the exact submission method and any required form.[2]

How to prepare datasets for Québec city publication

Follow these practical steps to reduce rejection and compliance risk when publishing:

  • Validate data quality: remove duplicates and ensure coordinate systems are standard.
  • Document provenance and any transformation applied to original records.
  • Confirm licensing: apply the licence requested by the portal or city policy.
  • Test API access in a staging environment before production publishing.
Keep a changelog for each dataset release to support audits.

FAQ

How do I request an API key for the City of Québec open data portal?
Contact the city digital services or follow the developer instructions on the open data portal to request an API key; specific forms are handled via the portal’s onboarding process.[1]
Are there fees to publish datasets or obtain API keys?
The consulted portal pages do not publish a fee schedule; fees are not specified on the cited pages and should be confirmed with the city contact.[1]
What if my dataset includes personal information?
Do not publish personal information. Remove or anonymize such data and consult the city’s privacy guidance and legal services before publication.[2]

How-To

  1. Inventory and export the dataset in an open format (CSV, GeoJSON).
  2. Remove or anonymize personal data and create a data dictionary.
  3. Register or log in to the City of Québec open data portal and follow the dataset upload flow.[1]
  4. Request an API key via the portal or by contacting digital services; provide intended use and contact details.[2]
  5. Test the API key on a staging endpoint and publish the dataset with metadata and license.
  6. Monitor usage, respond to data quality reports, and update datasets according to the declared cadence.

Key Takeaways

  • Use the City of Québec open data portal as the primary publication channel.
  • Sanitize personal data and document dataset provenance before publishing.
  • Contact the city digital services for onboarding, API keys and compliance questions.

Help and Support / Resources

  1. [1] Données ouvertes - Ville de Québec (portal)
  2. [2] Ville de Québec - Données ouvertes (city contact)

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