Alberta Libraries Protest Bill 28's Book Restrictions

0:00It's April 9th. Welcome in. This is Calgary News Today, where local news meets AI. I'm Corey with the story. Albertus Public Library Coalition just dropped a strong warning on the province's new Bill 28 slapping age-based restrictions on books and materials with visual sex depictions. They say it's tough to enforce, sparks privacy headaches, and comes with zero extra cash to make it happen. This builds on similar rules already hitting school libraries. The group, C.A.P. libraries, fired off a letter Thursday to Premier Daniel Smith and Minister Dan Williams. They rip 324 library spots, serving 99% of Albertans, and they're pushing back hard on shifting control from. Local pros to provincial oversight. Leaders like Edmonds and Public Library's CEO, Polar Martinez, are calling it a trust breaker, putting up walls to info folks rely on and forcing librarians into unwanted gatekeeper roles. Smaller branches especially feel the squeeze, with no funds for barriers, staff training, or

1:04even e-book fixes. Their letter hits four big issues, verifying ages or parent-okay could block everyday users. No budget for changes, Minister grabs too much power from. Local boards and its overkill for a non-proven problem. They weren't consulted up front, though the Gov disputes that. Minister Williams' team says regs are still flexible, and they're down to team up with libraries. Bottom line, the push stays firm. Keep kids under 16 from graphic sex stuff in public spots, but expect more talks to sort the how.