Book banning in Alberta and my Perspective as an owner of a Little Free Library

It is discouraging to observe that the book banning trend in the United States has extended to Canada. Alberta is the sole province in Canada that has implemented such drastic measures.

In July 2025, Alberta issued a ministerial order mandating the removal of sexually explicit materials from public school libraries by October 1st. 

Recently the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) has created a list of books being removed from all school libraries accessible to students in K-12. including many classic authors. The list can be accessed here. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-school-books-removal-1.7620807

As the deadline approaches, school divisions are frantically reviewing shelves under stringent deadlines and without additional provincial funding.

In May 2025, I sought to procure additional books for a community league event involving free donations. Several schools were contacted, hoping to receive any extra books. However, the response I received indicated that there might have been a librarian or a teacher assigned to work in the school library, but not likely. Presently, it appears that a significant portion of that funding has been reduced.

Alberta schools are unable to afford to hire librarians. Chronic underfunding has left numerous schools without the individuals trained to guide students through the enriching realm of literature. This constitutes the genuine crisis that the provincial government should address.

Recently, news articles have reported that teachers have been supplying their own classrooms with books they have purchased from their own pockets, only to discard them due to insufficient time to sort them in time for October 1st.

Have they not recognized the availability of the internet? Any child over the age of ten can readily access all those books with sufficient effort.

In my own Little Free Library, my objective has been to foster a love for reading among young readers and encourage them to minimize their reliance on the “screens!” My drawers are labelled as to categories appropriate for different ages such as pre-schoolers, school age, youth, adult and non-fiction. The aim of Little Free Libraries are to “ Leave a Book and Take a Book”  Yes I have removed some material such as political campaigning, and religious solicitation. 

As Kristine Wilkinson, the ATA News Editor-in-Chief, aptly stated, “Books broaden horizons. They cultivate empathy. They challenge us. Let us maintain a diverse range of books on our shelves, open our minds, and encourage our students to read—not only uncontroversial works, but also meaningful ones!”