News April 8, 2026

Peter Bailey Appointed Senior Fellow of the Centre for Free Expression

Peter Bailey, formerly CEO of the St. Albert Public Library, has been appointed a senior fellow by the Centre for Free Expression (CFE).

“The CFE is delighted to welcome Peter Bailey as a senior fellow,” said James L. Turk, Director of the Centre for Free Expression. “His distinguished career in the library world will be invaluable for CFE’s work in promoting intellectual freedom and assisting libraries facing growing demands for censorship.” 

Winner of the Alberta Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Library Service in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2024, and awarded the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2023 for his service to Alberta libraries, Peter is a former chair of the Canadian Federation of Library Associations and former president of the Library Association of Alberta. In addition, he was a founding board director of the Centre for Equitable Library Access which provides access to materials to print-disabled individuals through public libraries across Canada.

Related

Blog March 20, 2026

Unsafe in the library

What makes you feel unsafe? Do you feel threatened by a book – or by a picture in a book? Recently a children’s book in Manitoba was temporarily removed from a school division’s library shelves because some adults said it made them feel unsafe. They had no problem with the text which is a simple story of a child helping her grandmother prepare a special meal for the family.
Danielle S. McLaughlin
Intellectual Freedom