Tuesday's letters: Yes, Alberta is banning books in school libraries
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In his recent op-ed, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides claims that the Canadian Civil Liberties Association has mischaracterized his government's attempt to ban books from school libraries. Apart from the specious argument that a ministerial order which will see the removal of countless texts should be called anything other than a book ban, Nicolaides claims that the CCLA is dead wrong in asserting that books like The Handmaid's Tale and 1984 will be prohibited.
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As a high school English teacher, I can say that both books — which many would acknowledge should be required reading — contain scenes which violate the criteria of the order. Of course, these scenes are small parts of a whole work and should not be considered out of context, particularly in light of their importance to the works and the significant value of novels such as these. Does Minister Nicolaides truly believe these books do not belong in the hands of high school students? How many other books will fall victim to this ill-advised book ban?
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I'm having a hard time understanding why Epcor is spending big bucks on their Enjoy a Glass of the Sask ads on TV and radio. Except for bottled water, do we have a choice? Trying to persuade the comparatively small number of households who source their drinking water in other ways to switch to regular tap water seems hugely uneconomic in terms of their revenue.
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Personally, I would rather see a reduction in my water bills than watch Epcor commercials over and over again.
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Donna Quick, Spruce Grove
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Wise to vet separation question
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The electoral officer is sending the separatists' referendum question to the courts so we don't waste millions on a referendum that likely won't have a constitutional outcome. Seems like a tiny bit of common sense against this senseless government.
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R.C. Rolf, Edmonton
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An excellent article by Lorne Gunter on the current infill policy. Clearly, common sense has no place in these infill designs, though I am perplexed how the fire code in the city would allow this. How would EMS get into such a space with only 35 inches clearance, or a team of firefighters? Never mind privacy or 'peer/leer' issues, this is just not safe.
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Vancouver Sun
11 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Judge overstepped his authority in ruling against Quebec's language law: appeal court
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Winnipeg Free Press
16 hours ago
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Judge strikes down key parts of Florida law that led to removal of books from school libraries
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge has struck down key parts of a Florida law that helped parents get books they found objectionable removed from public school libraries and classrooms. It is a victory for publishers and authors who had sued after their books were removed. U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza in Orlando said in Wednesday's ruling that the statute's prohibition on material that described sexual conduct was overbroad. Mendoza, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, also said that the state's interpretation of the 2023 law was unconstitutional. Among the books that had been removed from central Florida schools were classics like Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale,' Richard Wright's 'Native Son' and Kurt Vonnegut's 'Slaughterhouse-Five.' 'Historically, librarians curate their collections based on their sound discretion not based on decrees from on high,' the judge said. 'There is also evidence that the statute has swept up more non-obscene books than just the ones referenced here.' After the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature passed the law, school officials worried that any sexual content was questionable, a belief that was enforced by new state training that urged librarians to err on the side of caution. Last year, Florida led the nation with 4,500 removals of school books. Under the judge's ruling, schools should revert back to a U.S. Supreme Court precedent in which the test is whether an average person would find the work prurient as a whole; whether it depicts sexual content in an offensive way; and whether the work lacks literary, artistic, political or scientific value. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The lawsuit was brought by some of the nation's largest book publishers and some of the authors whose books had been removed from central Florida school libraries, as well as the parents of schoolchildren who tried to access books that were removed. The author plaintiffs included Angie Thomas, author of 'The Hate U Give'; Jodi Picoult, author of 'My Sister's Keeper'; John Green, author of 'The Fault in Our Stars'; and Julia Alvarez, author of 'How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents.' The publisher plaintiffs included Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishing and Simon and Schuster.
Winnipeg Free Press
17 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Judge overstepped his authority in ruling against Quebec's language law: appeal court
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