Alberta Premier Danielle Smith stands alongside Demetrios Nicolaides, the new Minister of Education and Childcare, after his swearing-in ceremony in Calgary on Friday, May 16, 2025. The Canadian Press
The Alberta government announced new rules for school libraries on Monday. Written descriptions of sexual content can stay. Images or drawings of sexual activity must go.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides explained why. “An image can be understood and conveyed at any grade level with any degree of comprehension,” he said. He added that vocabulary grows with age, so written content requires more maturity.
He assured that classic works will remain available. “Classic literary works that work to provoke the mind and challenge our thinking are exactly the type of material that should be provided in a school library,” he told reporters.
Controversy over classics
Edmonton’s public school board had listed over 200 books for removal after the first order in July. That list included Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. The move sparked global attention.
Atwood mocked the government online with a satirical short story. Premier Danielle Smith accused Edmonton Public of misinterpreting the rules. She said the focus was always on pictures, not text.
The province pointed to four graphic novels with sexual images as the reason behind the change.
Deadline extended
The revised order extends the deadline for schools. Boards now have until January to remove inappropriate books. Before, the cut-off was October. The same rules apply to all grades, unlike the old version which separated content by grade level.
The Calgary Board of Education welcomed the shift and the extra time. Edmonton Public confirmed it will not remove the classics after all.
Mixed reactions
Not everyone supports the revision. Tanya Gaw of Action4Canada said it falls short. “Pornography is pornography,” she said. She argued that some students read at higher levels and should not access such content.
NDP education critic Amanda Chapman slammed the government. She said the back-and-forth wasted resources during the summer. “All that time and resources were completely wasted,” she said.
Teachers also raised concerns. Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, said many books are already gone. “Those books aren’t coming back,” he said. He called the whole process “an unnecessary overreach.”
Next steps
School divisions must send the ministry lists of books they plan to remove by the end of October. The province won’t approve them but will review the lists to give advice if needed.
The ministry also removed a rule requiring teachers to digitally catalogue their personal classroom libraries. Nicolaides said he wanted to stop teachers from giving away books to avoid that extra work. Parents will still be informed about classroom materials.
