Intellectual Freedom

In the small town of Valleyview, Alberta, social conservatives are campaigning to rid the public library of books about sexual minorities.The campaign received Canada-wide attention on February 7, 2025, when CBC News publicized the results of a major investigation.But the struggle between the social conservatives and their critics has not ended. The mayor and town council still have plans to reduce library funding, shut down the current library, and open a smaller public library in a K–12 school that has not been built.REPORTAGE

Bänoo Zan, an Iranian-born poet in Toronto, has won the Freedom to Read Award of the Writers’ Union of Canada.PRESS RELEASEThe Writers’ Union of Canada announces the award:Poet and Presenter Bänoo Zan Wins Freedom to Read Award | The Writers' Union of CanadaREPORTAGEIn Quill & Quire, Cassandra Drudi reports:

Canada’s Freedom to Read Week (FTRW), an annual event inspiring us to think about and confirm our commitment to intellectual freedom, takes place from February 23 to March 1, 2025. 

In Ontario, Campaign Life Coalition is campaigning against the use of elementary school books that focus on sexual minorities.