This week, the provincial government introduced the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, that, if passed, would build “a more prosperous, resilient and competitive economy by fighting costly delays and regulatory burdens that slow the delivery of homes, roads, and infrastructure that communities need.”The legislation would cut red tape, thereby getting shovels in the ground faster, added Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
“With tariffs and economic uncertainty taking aim at our economy, we’re working with municipal leaders and homebuilders to get shovels in the ground faster so we can build more homes and keep workers on the job,” noted Flack.
Will this proposed legislation, piggybacking on previously adopted Bill 17, create the conditions necessary to achieve the province’s goal of building 1.5 million homes over 10 years?
We spoke with Flack a couple of hours after the legislation was introduced on Thursday (Oct. 23) afternoon.
“There are a lot of moving parts to the bill,” he stressed, “40 different pieces to the legislation, but as it relates to our ministry, it complements Bill 17. It ends the practice of charging inflated development charges to future homebuilders or homebuyers.”Bill 17 is the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025 and amended the Building Code Act, 1992.
In summary, the proposed bill “explores new and bold funding for major infrastructure investment through a public utility corporation,” explained Flack.
“So, for instance, when we need infrastructure for water and wastewater, there’s only one taxpayer. So this model, if it works, and it will work in Peel Region (where it is being introduced), can be used throughout the province to get municipalities to borrow money from this particular fund to invest in this major infrastructure.”
Flack suggested the County of Elgin would be a prime candidate to pursue this funding for infrastructure.
And another element of the bill, pointed out Flack, is, “we’re reducing the time it takes to get homes built, less studies, a standardized building code.
“Let’s be blunt again. The pause button has been hit. Because of what’s going on south of the border, people have uncertainty in their lives. Are they going to keep their jobs? Are they worried about being able to keep up with the rent payments?
“In the U.S., it can take weeks or months to get a building permit; in Ontario, it can take years. We’re unpeeling the layers of bureaucracy, of red tape, and there’s a lot of moving parts in this bill that deal directly with that.
“Our job is to create the conditions for home builders to do what they do best, and that’s build homes. Right now, I’m relentlessly focused on the next six to 12 months. We need to kickstart this housing economy, and we’re hoping, confidently hoping, that this piece of legislation, complementing what we’ve already done, gets the job done, creating the environment to bring confidence.
“Let’s be blunt again. The pause button has been hit. Because of what’s going on south of the border, people have uncertainty in their lives. Are they going to keep their jobs? Are they worried about being able to keep up with the rent payments?
“So what we’re trying to do is bring some certainty to housing, some certainty with our municipal affairs by lowering the cost. They’re thinking, is the HST going to come off? Are interest rates going to drop? Is the cost of building going to be lowered? These are the things that can make people uncertain.
“We’re trying to bring certainty back by standardizing the time it takes to get permits, by making sure municipalities lower those development charges, and creating conditions that homebuilders and buyers can get shovels in the ground.”
We asked Flack how this might impact the development of the former St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital in Central Elgin.
“If you go back to when I was first elected and running the first time, I placed the repurposing of that land at the top of my agenda in terms of getting things done. We’re very close to having the final negotiations with Central Elgin done.
“That being said, we’re going to set the parameters that we want to see in terms of density and the housing continuum, schools, parks, etc. I still like the idea of some of that land going to the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital as we move forward. “That being said, I believe we’re getting close, very close, not to getting shovels in the ground, but having a path forward to understand who we can get to get this project done, what developers, what builders can get shovels in the ground faster.
“So obviously, working very closely with Mayor (Andrew) Sloan and his team, also the people and the folks in Infrastructure Ontario, we’re working hard to get that project done. It’s on the top of my local priority list.”
Flack continued, “If you talk to other builders in the area, like Doug Tarry, he will tell you that we need to make sure we have enough developable land, housing land to get this job done.”
He turned his attention to the City of St. Thomas.
“I would also put a shout-out to our urban friends that infill is a good idea. Look at the railway lands right behind my office at the CASO station. That land should be repurposed into housing.”
In fact, Tarry has purchased land to the east of the Elgin County Railway Museum for that very purpose, and you can read more about that here.
Another perfect example of urban infill is Project Tiny Hope at 21 Kains Street in St. Thomas, along with the city’s partnership with Indwell.
Flack agreed and noted, “We need more of that in our cities because, as we all know, we still really need to protect our prime farmland to produce the food that people are going to need to eat as they live in these new homes and roofs over their heads.
“I’ve said it before to you, the dream of home ownership cannot be extinguished. It has to stay alive in this province. It’s a quintessential Canadian dream. We have to keep it alive, and this bill, Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, is going to help accomplish that goal.”
STOP UPLOADING PHOTOS OF YOUR KIDS
Remaining up to date in the fluid virtual world as parents, caregivers, and professionals is essential to protecting children and youth online.
That was the driving force behind Parenting in a Digital Age, a multi-media presentation by Dr. Charlene Doak-Gebauer, presented this past week (Oct. 22) by the Kiwanis Club of Port Stanley.
Dr. Doak-Gebauer is recognized internationally for her efforts in digital child and family protection. She is the award-winning producer of the documentary, Vulnerable Innocence and is the founder and chair of the Canadian charity, Internet Sense First and creator of the AICET Council (International Anti-Internet Child Exploitation Team).Her pioneering Theory of Digital Supervision sets a vital standard for proactive online child protection.
She is the author of Digital Sexual Victims: True Cases, which was nominated for an international award by the Delta Kappa Gamma Society of Education.
Her two other books are The Internet: Are Children in Charge? and her most recent release, Eyes On The Internet: Unique Digital Supervision For Online Child Protection.
And Dr. Doak-Gebauer speaks from personal experience.
“I had a situation in my family where my niece, at the age of four, was used for child sexual abuse material by neighbours. And she lived her life to the fullest, but at the age of 22, she was killed by a drunk driver. And I started everything in memory of her and in support of all children. Because this is the crime of the century, unfortunately.”
And, Doak-Gebauer experienced sexual assault at the hands of a high school teacher at the age of 15.
Her presentation this past week in Port Stanley focused on her theory of digital supervision.
“Which is user-friendly, and it’s comprised of three parts:
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Awareness: What is actually going on online with our children?
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Methods: I give user-friendly methods that parents can use to supervise the internet. We’re not spying on our children. We’re supervising the internet the same way we do for them, going to a mall, going to school. Parents are driving their kids to school, yet they’re giving them a cell phone and letting them do whatever.
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Hope: We can do this. And because I do it in a user-friendly way, everyone can apply digital supervision.”
To areas like cyberbullying, child sexual abuse, and AI and its effect on child safety online.
“What we need to do as adults is realize that we need to know what’s going on with our children. They need guidance. They need support. They need us more now than they ever have in the history of the world. We just have to realize it.
“So it’s not the technology so much and the how-to. It’s the content and where that content is. Yes, there are predators out there everywhere, but they’re children. The children, their friends, can be predators.
“The bullying, is your child a bully or being bullied? These are things we need to know as parents. And the kids may not necessarily at the onset realize that what they’re being told or what’s happening is bullying.
“They just feel bad. Somebody’s picking on me. Yes. And sometimes they don’t even realize that these kids might try to befriend them. And then all of a sudden, there’s a group of kids that are bullying them. And then they start feeling so sad. And they don’t want to talk to parents or anyone because the door hasn’t been opened.
“Too much ownership is being given to our children. We need to step up to the plate.”
“Our children do not know how to deal with this. We need to be there for them, and we can’t be there for them if we’re just letting them do everything independently.”
Dr. Doak-Gebauer has been recognized dozens of times for her work as a researcher, educator, advocate and filmmaker dedicated to ensuring all children are safe online, regardless of country borders, race, ethnicity, or religion.
She points out, “I am considered a computer science specialist in education and have managed computer networks. And because of that, speaking with students, parents and professionals, I’ve realized there’s a huge gap between what’s going on out there and knowledge.”
“And people want the police to do more. They want social media to do more, and internet service providers to do more. But the real missing link is the parents. That makes it complete for the safety of children.”
A key takeaway from the multimedia presentation was effective digital supervision techniques.
“Think of our little children who have no life experiences whatsoever. And what I really find repulsive is when they keep talking about children and their protection of themselves online. Where do they get the maturity to do that? Too much ownership is being given to our children. We need to step up to the plate.”
She continues, “The parents obviously have to play a role here or be part of a solution. Where does the government fit in? Well, the government keeps wanting to change legislation, which is good when predators are caught.
“And people want the police to do more. They want social media to do more, and internet service providers to do more. But the real missing link is the parents. That makes it complete for the safety of children.
“Tossing those digital devices, which we are all doing, providing the gateway to the internet. My theory of digital supervision gives parents the opportunity to play an active role in protecting their children online. And you know what? All parents want to do this. They just don’t know how. And I provide that.”
One of the questions is peer pressure because Sally next door got a cell phone when she was 10, so we have to give our daughter or son a cell phone at 10.
“And a lot of parents say they do it for safety reasons. What I recommend is getting a pager, a comprehensive pager that can have GPS on it.
“Just a little device somewhere in a child’s backpack or on their person, because the backpack will be the first thing they’ll take as well. If it’s on their person, you still might have a chance of knowing where your child is.”
And while your intention of giving your child a phone is for a safety reason, they’re going to go to TikTok. They’re going to go to whatever social media outlet their friends are on.
“And if they have a cell phone that doesn’t have a data plan on it, they can still tap into Wi-Fi anywhere. So that doesn’t work. The children can get around so many blocks.
“And I tell everyone you need hardware and software filters on devices, but you also have to be there as a human being supervising.
“You know, people seem to forget the word ‘No.’ And gentle discipline, having sporadic checks on devices, that’s one thing that needs to be done. But then people will say, well, we have filters, we have this, we have that. Kids can get around that.
“But when a child is on a gaming system, they’re on the server for the gaming system. They’re not on your server at home. You’re just providing the gateway.
“I show people how to supervise all of that and still be friends with your children. I’ve asked some people, have you ever tried to take your cell phone away from your child? And they say, ‘Oh, I wouldn’t dare. It would just be terrible.’
“And I tell them, well, if you have some sort of agreement with your child, when you give them devices and have everything laid out, clear expectations, then you’d have less of a chance of having that problem.”
She stresses, “Our children need us more now than they ever have in the history of the world.”
For more information, visit https://www.cdoak-gebauer.com/
CITY COUNCIL VACANCY
When city council meets again in November, a priority will be filling the seat vacated by Steve Peters.
Members have already had to deal with a vacancy this term when Tara McCaulley resigned in January of this year to devote more time to her position as loans manager with the Elgin Business Resource Centre.
Council chose to fill the spot with the next highest polling individual in the 2022 municipal election, Earl Taylor.
Should they decide to follow that path again, the next in line would be Petrusia Hontar, who garnered 2,251 votes in 2022.
She is the Executive Director at Elgin Middlesex Oxford Workforce Planning and Development Board.
Previously, Hontar was manager of the St. Thomas-Elgin Local Immigration Partnership.
THE ECHO CHAMBER
Responding to our item two weeks ago on the redevelopment of the former psychiatric hospital land, Regis Trudel had this observation.
“The former hospital proposed development plan and the mayor (Central Elgin Mayor Andrew Sloan) speak of ‘affordability.” But what does that mean?
Unless the zoning specifically restricts the size of all individual residential units, from single-family to high-rise, and provides minimum densities instead of just maximum densities, homebuilders will just build the largest units they can sell or rent at the highest prices.”
And a reader identified only as ponderosa00750 was somewhat more blunt.
“Development for the rich or for hospitals, the elderly, special needs, the handicapped, the Y.W.C.A., a food bank, Grace Cafe, the homeless, support workers, special police, greenhouses.
“This is prime land, build your rich houses in the city, not in the country.”
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And a reminder, I can be heard weekday afternoons as news anchor and reporter on 94.1 myFM in St. Thomas. As always, your comments and input are appreciated.
Rob Flack has an excellent opportunity with the former Hospital Lands to make sure what gets developed is not just more of the same million dollar homes like in Talbotville, but real “affordable” housing at increased densities. For example, the zoning restrictions for lot and unit sizes and densities: instead of zoning minimums for lot and unit sizes and maximum densities, require maximum lot and unit sizes and minimum densities to enforce affordability for industrial workers instead of plant managers and executives.