1 v. — Administration, Politics
transfer costs to a higher level of government.
Type: 3. Semantic Change — Upload has been used to refer to data transfers in computing since at least the 1970s (see OED-3, s.v. "upload" [2]). In Canada, when used in a financial context, the term refers to the transfer of costs from a lower level of government to a higher one. The meaning was developed independently of internet terminology, as the antonym download precedes the internet age.
See also COD-2, s.v. "upload"(2), which is marked "Cdn".
See also: provincialization download three orders of government
2 v. & verbal n. — in extended use, Administration, Politics
to transfer something to a higher organization level.
Type: 3. Semantic Change — The concept is no longer limited to financial costs alone, but is most often used in the phrase to upload responsibility.