Most Edmonton city councillors are not happy with how the United Conservative Party is taking aim at what it says is pornographic material available to youth on public library shelves and are cautioning city ratepayers will end up footing the bill for the new rules.
On April 28, council voted 12-1, with Ward tastawiyiniwak Coun. Karen Principe against, to approve the motion by Ward Anirniq Coun. Erin Rutherford to direct Mayor Andrew Knack to write a letter expressing council’s concerns with Bill 28. The bill is currently making its way through the Alberta legislature, causing widespread concerns it will severely limit how libraries operate.
Rutherford was candid about the problems she sees with the bill. Implementing the new restrictions on libraries will cost Edmonton Public Libraries $500,000 in administrative costs alone, she said.
“What this legislation does is so much deeper,” said Rutherford. “It is giving authority over all components of public libraries to the minister. If they don’t like a display, if they don’t like a program, if they don’t agree with the collection, if they don’t like who has access to the library. The way the bill is currently written is very open-ended.”
Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz went further, claiming the bill is “an attack on freedom.”
“I think we need to call it what it is — an attack on freedom to read,” he said.
“Dollars that should be going toward our municipal priorities are now going to have be keeping certain books behind a beaded curtain.”
Ward Dene Coun. Aaron Paquette pointed out anything parents possibly worry about viewing at a library is far more accessible on the internet.
He said parents could and should be the ones keeping tabs of what their children are viewing.
“The state should not be stepping in to act as the universal gatekeeper for families who are perfectly capable of making those choices,” he said. “I admire their desire to protect kids, but is it the state’s responsibility to tell parents what their kids can and can’t access?”
Knack added that he’s told Municipal Affairs minister Dan Williams he thinks libraries are doing just fine without provincial oversight.
He said he doesn’t understand what problem Bill 28 is trying to solve.
“There are so many important issues that we need to be working on with the provincial government right now,” he said. “I would love to be working with them on safety, on mental health and addictions, on housing, on municipal finances which actually is within this ministry. We’ve heard the minister previously raise the idea of additional revenue tools for municipalities, I think that’s an incredibly important priority that I would much rather be spending my time on right now.
“Edmonton Public Libraries has been the gold-standard for ensuring access to information. They have brought in speakers that I personally greatly dislike and yet I love that they do it. It gives me a chance to hear from different perspectives and introduce me to new ways of thinking.”
Postmedia reached out to Municipal Affairs for what evidence it had to show youth were accessing pornography at public libraries. Press Secretary Jack Alarie said the government fielded “hundreds” of complaints.
“Minister Williams held up examples of graphic sexual images found in public library collections, including materials from libraries in Calgary and Edmonton, to illustrate precisely the kind of content the legislation is intended to address,” he said. “The minister was clear that this is not about banning books, but about ensuring such materials are not freely accessible to children under the age of 16.
“We believe it is a reasonable expectation that families can bring their children into a public library without fear of them stumbling upon explicit, graphic sexual content.”
Minister of Municipal Affairs Dan Williams will introduce legislation to support growth, improve transparency and strengthen local governance across Alberta on Thursday, April 2, 2026. He was holding a graphic novel that he claimed was offensive for a depiction of a sexual act. Photos by Shaughn Butts – Postmedia
Retired professor emeritus of library information studies Toni Samek said she is “unaware of research showing access to information in a physical library is a danger.”
“I don’t see or know of a body of empirical research that proves what they’re claiming.”
Samek said libraries thoroughly vet anything being added to their collections to ensure they meet the peer-reviewed consultation on appropriateness.
She said the Canadian Library Challenges Database shows the Alberta government is acting out of character by challenging the autonomy of libraries.
“There’s not really historically that many challenges reported by Alberta libraries — there is not the material evidence to suggest we have a problem,” she said. “The biggest hit for providing data has been the ministerial order on K-12 schools in Alberta and now Bill 28.
“What our government has executed constitutes the largest book ban in Canadian history,” she claimed. “It’s not solving a problem — it’s creating a problem. The language, when you look at it closely, means (the minister) could question rainbow materials, anti-racist materials, environment materials, they could seek access to patron’s records. It’s a complete violation of democratic trust.”
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