Overview

• An internal Edmonton Public Schools memo obtained by CBC lists more than 200 titles marked for removal from K–12 libraries for explicit sexual content.
• Works named include The Handmaid’s Tale, Brave New World, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and 2SLGBTQ+ titles such as Gender Queer and Two Boys Kissing.
• Board chair Julie Kusiek said the division opposed the ministerial order but compiled the list to follow its criteria and confirmed books will be pulled this fall.
• Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said the government will review the list, asked EPSB to justify selections, and stated the province did not provide the titles.
• Nicolaides said the list does not separate by grade level, yet the memo contains a K–9 section and notes some books, including 1984 and The Great Gatsby, would be limited to Grades 10–12 when the policy takes effect Oct. 1.