The proposed Bill 28 allows the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to pass regulations restricting access to books by age for any reason they want, with no specific mention of sexual content
Section 40 of the Libraries Act, which covers what the Minister is allowed to unilaterally make rules about concerning libraries, currently reads:
> respecting the acquisition, provision, management, maintenance and disposition of library materials and facilities by public libraries
The proposed change in Bill 28 changes it to:
> respecting the access to and the use and borrowing of public library property by members of the public, including regulations restricting access, use and borrowing based on age;
and adds:
> The Minister may issue guidelines respecting the interpretation or application of a regulation made under section 40(b.1).
> (2) The Minister shall make guidelines issued under subsection (1) publicly available in a manner the Minister considers appropriate.
If this bill goes through, the Minister will have the power to declare books to be age-restricted any time they feel like it. This is incredibly alarming.
In addition, Section 39 allows the Minister to have any library inspected for the books they have on offer and then make any rules they want based on that.