Update Friday 2/21 7:30 PM: Some comments that Google has noted that we care share about the Canadian Places Warning:

The February 21 deadline only applies to users to whom Google has sent emails.

If a user sees the message in the dashboard (but no email), deep breaths. It will be okay. There is no imminent threat. Just follow the instructions and the scary message will go away.

If a user didn’t get an email nor does he/she see a message in the dashboard, there is no action required.

To all my friends in the 51st state: Everyone stay calm. The Placopalypse is not about to descend.

Chris McCreery has reported in Linda’s blog that Canadians with the new dashboard may be receiving the  “To Keep your listing live” message from Google. This is the same message that was received in Australia earlier in the month.

Colan Nielson the Local SEO Manager
Imprezzio Marketing noted:  “Saw my first example. Hit the Submit button. Message went away”. Chris McCreary noted that his listing went to an “In Progress” status.

These sorts of messages from Google, given the lack of detail and color, seem to cause a certain hysteria. For whatever reason Google rarely tells the whole story and rarely explains these things well to the public which seems to further the hysteria.

I speculated at the time of the Australian email that “whether it is an effort to clean up listings after the upgrade or has something to do with local licensing issues, no one really knows“.

Regardless all that is necessary is that when you receive the email (or before) visit your dashboard, do the null edit and move on.

Question for those of you with Canadian dashboard and who have received this message; What verticals are you getting the message in?