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Deputy Mayor of Toronto Declares February 19-25, 2023 as “Freedom to Read Week”

February 21, 2023

Freedom to Read Week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to reflect on, and reaffirm, their commitment to intellectual freedom – a right that is guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The freedom to read is foundational to independent thought, the pursuit of knowledge, and to democratic principles Listed under “February Proclamations”: …

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Why Some Florida Schools Are Removing Books from Their Libraries

February 9, 2023

“If I weren’t living through it, I wouldn’t believe it’s happening,” one parent, who has worked as a substitute teacher, said. https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/why-some-florida-schools-are-removing-books-from-their-libraries

Children’s book by Quebec author on gender, identity targeted by complaints in U.S. town

February 6, 2023

Parents in a U.S. town have asked their local library to take a Quebec author’s children’s book about sexual and gender diversity off the shelves, and that author says she’s worried that a climate of intolerance is contributing to the censorship and marginalization of LGBTQ realities. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/children-book-gender-sex-library-quebec-1.6733566

The 50 most banned books in America

November 21, 2022

PEN America has identified the 50 books that were most frequently challenged or banned in the 2021–22 school year. CBS News briefly profiles each book (and links to PEN America’s report): https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-50-most-banned-books-in-america/

Canadian Government’s Experts on Online Safety Submit Their Findings

July 20, 2022

In Ottawa, the federal Liberal government’s group of 12 experts whoconsidered ways and means of limiting harms on the internet finished theirmeetings and released their findings this summer. The Expert Advisory Group on Online Safety concluded their 10 meetings onJune 10, 2022, and released their findings on July 8, 2022. The federal Liberal government is …

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Along with ‘The Great Bear’ these are the other two books the DDSB pulled from school libraries

May 11, 2022

The Durham District School removed ‘Louis Riel: Le Pays Improbable’ by Andre Leblanc and ‘Sisters of the Wolf’ by Patricia Miller-Schroeder in April 2022, the Toronto Star reports. The DDSB reversed their decision and returned all three texts to shelves later that month. https://www.thestar.com/local-oshawa/news/2022/05/05/along-with-the-great-bear-these-are-the-other-two-books-the-ddsb-pulled-from-school-libraries.html