Overview

• The pause halts a provincewide directive that had set Oct. 1 for removals of titles deemed to contain explicit sexual content.
• Nicolaides told divisions the pause is in effect until further notice and asked them to stop developing or distributing removal lists.
• The original July rules applied to public, separate, francophone, charter and independent schools and included age-based access standards.
• A leaked Edmonton Public Schools draft list named more than 200 titles, including Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, intensifying public scrutiny.
• Atwood criticized Premier Danielle Smith over the episode, while Smith said the Edmonton division’s approach was too heavy‑handed and not aligned with the policy’s intent.