BILL 28 AFFECTS YOU
Bill 28 affects your access to library materials, your privacy, and the library service available to you. We encourage you to reach out to your MLA if you have concerns.
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About Bill 28
Bill 28 (Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Amendment Act, 2026) proposes significant changes to the Library’s Act that will affect the way our community accesses library materials and space. This legislation introduces direct provincial oversight and mandatory collection restrictions that create immediate conflicts with our facility’s physical capacity, our municipal budget, and our core policies on Intellectual Freedom and Censorship.
While the province is currently indicating that the new legislation is only to restrict sexually explicit images from the library. As written, it only indicates that regulations can be created, which leaves it open for other regulations in the futures. The Town of Olds Library board believes in parent's right to manage, control, and support their children in the way they deem appropriate. The Olds Library policies and procedures support these parental rights, without the need for additional control and decision making powers from provincial authorities. The board supports the Statements and efforts made by the Coalition of Alberta Pubic Libraries (CAP), and encourage you to reach out to your MLA With concerns.
Read the Official Statement from the Coalition of Alberta Public Library (CAP)
Proposed Changes & Local Impact
1. Governance & Oversight: The Loss of Local Control
Right now, your library is run by people who live right here in Olds. Bill 28 changes that by handing the "remote control" for our library to a government office in Edmonton. This means provincial inspectors can now second-guess how we run our programs or what books we put on our shelves, even if our local Board and community are happy with them. Most concerningly, it allows people from outside our town to bypass our local process and go straight to the Minister to complain about what’s happening in our community space, even if they don't live here. This bypasses the Library Boards already extensive local review process and Expression of Concern procedures.
What this means for Olds:
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Expanded inspection powers create a hostile environment. If an inspector can critique which books, we have available, how we display books, or how you run a specific program, the library loses the freedom to be creative and responsive to Olds-specific needs.
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Staff Interrogations places frontline staff, who are often part-time or volunteer, in a terrifying legal position. If they answer "incorrectly" or are seen as "obstructing", they face punishable offences.
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By allowing a direct line to the Minister, the Bill encourages "out-of-town" or "coordinated" complaints. A single person (or even a group from outside Olds) could trigger a provincial investigation into your library, bypassing the local Board entirely.
2. Policy Conflict vs. Parental Responsibility
The proposed "age-appropriate standards" (restricting access for those 15 and under) directly contradict long-standing OML policies. Our Censorship Policy states the Board is not a "supervisor of public morals." The legislation changes force the Board to assume this role by proxy. Our policy affirms the right of Guardians to enforce their own codes of conduct for their households. Bill 28 replaces individualized parental choice with a one-size-fits-all provincial mandate.
What it means for Olds:
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Currently, our staff’s job is to help people find what they need. Under Bill 28, they are forced to become "age-enforcers." This places staff in the awkward and confrontational position of having to "card" young teenagers or question their choices at the desk. It damages the trust we’ve built with local youth.
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While the message of this legislation is protecting children, it forces provincially mandated restrictions on families. Families should have the right AND responsibility of monitoring the reading and viewing materials their children access.
3. Operational Pressures
If the Board is forced to comply with the proposed restrictions, our facility and staffing implement presents major hurdles. Complying with regulations will require significant staff time to pull, move, and analyse materials. This has initial front heavy time needs which may require library closure. The Bill requires "separate" or "restricted" areas that must be monitorable by staff.
What it means for Olds:
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Every hour spent preparing for or responding for an inspection or answering a Ministerial inquiry is an hour not spent on programs, services or helping patrons. If a section must be "monitorable," a staff member must be positioned to see it at all times to ensure no one under 16 enters. It may mean that one staff member is permanently tethered to a specific spot for "surveillance" rather than roaming the floor to help people with their needs.
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Our current footprint has no such space. Creating one would require significant structural renovations and the loss of existing space. This will require a major overhaul of the space to rearrange collections which may result in increased taxes, decreases funding for services and programs, and possible lengthy library closure.
4. Censorship
While the Government of Alberta is ensuring local boards have the right to choose what goes in their collection development policies and processes, if the library cannot afford costly renovations or processes to monitor the materials the province deems unfit, the only option left is to remove them from the collection. This is De Facto Censorship.
What it means for Olds:
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If the Olds Library is unable to afford the renovations or comply with restricted materials regulations, they will be required to remove selected materials from the public library. This will reduce access to materials, (i.e. puberty and sexual education materials) and meant for adults and already shelved in adult sections of the library.
What can you do?
Your voice is essential in ensuring our libraries remain spaces of free expression, local decision-making, and privacy. Here is how you can take action today:
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Reach out to our local MLA -Let our representative know how these changes will impact our community directly. Advise them that you value intellectual freedom and the current standards of library governance.
Need help getting started, we have a template letter you can personalize then send or email.
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Contact Provincial Leadership - Continue your conversation by reaching out to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Premier of Alberta.
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Share Your Story - When you write, mention a specific way the library has helped you or your family. Personal stories are the most powerful tool for advocacy. Let them know how this bill will affect you and your family.
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Send a Digital Post Card - Writing a letter not for you? Send a Digital Postcard. Visit the CAP site.
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Sign the Online Petition - Every way we can show the support counts. Sign our petition at Change.org
MLA Tara Sawyer
(Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills)
PO Box 3909, 4905 B - 50 Avenue
Olds, AB T4H 1P6
Hon. Dan Williams
(Minister of Municipal Affairs)
18th Floor, Commerce Place
10155 102 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 4G8
Hon. Danielle Smith
(Premier of Alberta)
307 Legislature Building
10800 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6