What does Bill 28 do?
On April 2, 2026, the Government of Alberta introduced Bill 28, the Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Amendment Act, 2026. While it covers several areas of municipal governance, the bill includes significant changes to the Alberta Libraries Act that would affect every public library in the province. Here is what the legislation actually says.
New government inspection powers
The bill would allow the Minister to appoint inspectors to enter any public library service point and inspect library property that the public can access, use, or borrow. Inspectors could also examine board records, require library employees to answer questions, and provide information. After an inspection, the Minister may make any order the Minister considers appropriate. The current Libraries Act only allows inspection of board records — the bill expands this to the collections, services, and operations of every library.
New regulation-making authority over access
The bill would give the Minister the power to make regulations restricting who can access, use, or borrow public library materials based on age. This is new as no such authority currently exists in the Libraries Act. The bill does not define what materials would be restricted, what age thresholds would apply, or how restrictions would be enforced. Those details would come later through regulations.
Ministerial guidelines
The bill would also allow the Minister to issue guidelines on how libraries should interpret and apply those future regulations. While guidelines are not legally binding, they would shape how inspections are conducted and how compliance is judged.
What the bill does not include
The bill does not define what "restricted" materials are. It does not explain how age would be verified, whether parental consent would be required, how internet access, digital collections or third-party lending platforms would be affected, or who would bear the cost of compliance. It contains no new funding for libraries.
Why this matters
Alberta's public libraries are locally governed by community-appointed boards and staffed by trained professionals. Decisions about collections and access are currently made locally, based on professional standards and community needs. Bill 28 would shift that authority to the provincial government — giving a single minister the power to set access rules for all 324 library service points across the province, backed by inspection and enforcement powers.
What this could mean for you and your family
Bill 28 would give the provincial government the authority to decide what library materials are restricted by age and how those restrictions are enforced. This could affect how you and your family use the library. Materials that are currently easy to access may require age verification, involvement from library staff, or parental permission for younger children, depending on future regulations. These decisions would no longer be made locally by your library board or staff. Because the bill leaves key details to future regulations, library users would not know in advance what materials are affected or how access rules would apply until after they are introduced.