Gatineau's approach in assigning place name is to highlight the city's history, heritage and geography by developing a cultural identity based on a common heritage. Choosing a name for a place is a significant and distinctive step. In order to ensure the quality of its place names, Gatineau has adopted criteria that are used to assess the toponymic proposals. The suggested names must:

• comply with Gatineau's selection criteria based on the standards established by Quebec's Commission de toponymie. In the event of conflict between the criteria set by Gatineau and Commission, the latter's shall prevail;
• have historical or heritage significance, and refer to a person or event from our history;
• have a relevant and logical connection to the entity to be named, in accordance with any identified themes;
• commemorate a resident who has been deceased for more than one year who made a significant contribution to the Gatineau or some other community;
• strengthen the sense of identification with Gatineau by highlighting the Gatineau identity, popular places, cultural diversity and the city's Francophone nature; and
• avoid redundancy and the risk of confusion from duplication or homonyms.