Friday, June 26, 2026
ADVT 
National

Revised Alberta school book ban expected to be released today

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 08 Sep, 2025 08:17 AM
  • Revised Alberta school book ban expected to be released today

The Alberta government is set to release its revised school library book ban today.

The government had promised an updated ministerial order Friday, but the announcement was rescheduled.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said in an email after the postponement that officials were taking the time needed to ensure a  revised order was clear for all school boards.

Boards originally had until the end of the month to remove books containing images, illustrations, audio and written passages with sexually explicit content.

Edmonton's public school board issued a list of 200 books that it would have to remove, including Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale," prompting widespread criticism and ire from Atwood herself. 

The government directed school boards last Tuesday to pause their work in complying with the initial order.

Premier Danielle Smith said the order would immediately be changed to only target books with images of sexual content, so literary classics could stay on school shelves.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Picket lines go up as strike begins at six grain terminals in Metro Vancouver

Picket lines go up as strike begins at six grain terminals in Metro Vancouver
Picket lines have gone up at six grain terminals in Metro Vancouver as about 600 workers begin a strike. Canada's labour minister, meanwhile, says he spoke with both the employer and representatives of Grain Workers Union Local 333 on Monday, and they have agreed to resume contract negotiations alongside federal mediators.

Picket lines go up as strike begins at six grain terminals in Metro Vancouver

Health Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech's updated COVID-19 vaccine

Health Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech's updated COVID-19 vaccine
Health Canada approved Pfizer-BioNTech's updated COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, marking its third authorization of vaccine formulations that protect against the most recently circulating variants of the virus. Pfizer-BioNTech's mRNA vaccine, called Comirnaty, targets the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron, replacing the previous version that targeted the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant.

Health Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech's updated COVID-19 vaccine

Greens vow to expand safer supply of drugs in B.C., ex-coroner Lapointe backs plan

Greens vow to expand safer supply of drugs in B.C., ex-coroner Lapointe backs plan
British Columbia's former chief coroner is criticizing plans by two of the province's major political parties for involuntary treatment of people with drug addictions, saying there's little evidence it works and more people will die. Lisa Lapointe emerged from retirement in the starting days of the B.C. election campaign to throw her weight behind a BC Green Party campaign pledge to expand prescribed safer supply of opioids and other drugs to deal with the province's deadly overdose crisis.

Greens vow to expand safer supply of drugs in B.C., ex-coroner Lapointe backs plan

Man sentenced for multiple break-ins over a year

Man sentenced for multiple break-ins over a year
Police say a 44-year-old man has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for committing multiple break-ins in a six-month period between 2022 and 2023. Burnaby R-C-M-P say the man had been targetting high-end homes under construction.

Man sentenced for multiple break-ins over a year

Identity of man killed in Langley shooting released

Identity of man killed in Langley shooting released
Homicide detectives are releasing the identity of a man killed in a shooting in Langley over the weekend in hopes of advancing the investigation. Police say Johnathan Hebrada-Walters of Edmonton was known to police, and initial investigation indicates he was the victim of a targeted shooting.

Identity of man killed in Langley shooting released

HandyDART strike in Metro Vancouver ending as workers ratify new deal with TransDev

HandyDART strike in Metro Vancouver ending as workers ratify new deal with TransDev
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724 voted Monday to ratify the deal, giving workers a "significant" wage increase, that the union says would address the staffing shortages.  TransDev says it's pleased the three-week strike is coming to an end.

HandyDART strike in Metro Vancouver ending as workers ratify new deal with TransDev