EDMONTON — The Alberta government has paused its directive to remove books with explicit sexual content from school libraries. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced this decision in an email to school boards, instructing them to halt any efforts to compile or distribute lists of books slated for removal.

The pause will remain in effect until further notice. This announcement follows the leak of a draft list from Edmonton Public Schools, which included over 200 titles. Notably, the list featured Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale," leading the author to publicly criticize Premier Danielle Smith over the weekend.

Premier Smith responded by stating that the Edmonton school division's approach was overly aggressive and did not align with the government's original intentions regarding the policy. The situation has sparked significant discussion about the balance between educational content and community standards in Alberta's schools.