Brampton Library is proud to recognize Freedom to Read Week in Canada, February 21 – 27, 2021. During this week, the Library invites you to reflect on the right to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed by the Canadian Constitution, and is enshrined in the policies of Canadian libraries, including Brampton Library.

In public libraries and elsewhere, we must be vigilant when confronted with challenges to our rights. Every year, libraries are asked by customers and residents to remove, restrict, or otherwise limit access to specific books, DVDs, public speakers, programs, or services. In response, library staff thoughtfully review the items in question and take the opportunity to engage in dialogue with the complainant and with the community as a whole. Our starting point is the mission of libraries to provide access to a wide range of knowledge, ideas, and opinions, as related to the needs of the community. We use Canadian law—about human rights, about criminal hate speech, about defamation—as our touchstone for where restrictions might be reasonable.

This year, in particular, I invite you to reflect on how freedom to read has allowed for voices fighting for greater human rights to be heard. Without the freedom to read, many arguments about the need for the rights of racial minorities, or of 2SLGBTQ+ persons, or of women, would not have seen the light of day. Today, libraries are often called upon to restrict access to works that are seen as not inclusive of marginalized groups. As the current Chair of the Canadian Federation of Library Associations, I know that we are currently struggling with where to draw the line. Do you have thoughts about this? Please email your comments to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you want to read more about Freedom to Read Week, its history, and what books and ideas have been challenged recently, I invite you to check out the website www.freedomtoread.ca, brought to you by our friends at the Book and Periodical Council. And if there is anything in Brampton Library’s collections or program offerings that you are uncomfortable with, you are welcome to submit a request for us to reconsider it (just contact us by completing our Ask a Question form, found at the bottom of every page on our website, bramptonlibrary.ca). But first, consider whether you really want to take away someone else’s right to read something you disagree with. The freedom to read is not absolute, but we must be certain that an item is actually unsuitable before we make the hard decision to remove it from our branch libraries. 

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As the new CEO of Brampton Library, let me tell you how happy I am to start serving this community. Brampton is a growing, diverse and vibrant city, and its Library is an integral part of it all.  While still in the grips of a pandemic that has ravaged this community more than most, we hope to slowly reintroduce many of the library services Bramptonians rely on. We will continue our approach to do so cautiously and with the safety of our staff, users, and the wider community as our most important priority. At the same time, I want to thank our users for their continued support as we offer contactless and virtual services. 

I hope that once we are again able to fully welcome you into our branches that I will have the chance to meet our users and community stakeholders in person. Until then, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions or concerns.