By David Ward [originally published on Substack]
And bewildered tax cattle everywhere will foot the bill.
A few summers ago I stopped for a break at one of Ontario’s On Route service centres. I’m staying away from Tim Horton’s as much as possible these days, because of the company’s hiring practices (most recently), and so I headed over to the Starbucks counter instead — I know, this probably isn’t much better, but I needed a caffeine infusion for the last stretch of long drive. I was shocked when quoted the price for my “medium” coffee (I refuse to use the Starbucks lingo), but handed over my $5 bill anyway.
“You’ve just been robbed, mate,” some witty British chap behind me couldn’t resist commenting — at the extortionate price for a cup a coffee. I know what a cup of coffee costs in the UK, and so I had to agree as I threw whatever change was returned into the tip jar. The girl at the counter had no control of the price she was forced to charge, so there was no point complaining (there, at least). The management can make these decisions knowing they’d never have to face the customer, and that most customers will simply pay the price they’re asked — If they don’t want to, they could always go elsewhere, or even stop drinking coffee.
Say what you will about market forces, and the free-enterprise system, the mechanism of price discovery generally responds, eventually — Not so, however, in the public sector. Now I’m not an Anarcho-Capitalist (I should point out) and I’m certainly not a Neoliberal, but I’m no less critical of government. And, unbeknownst to most, over the past few years we have moved to a whole new economic reality: that ‘New Normal’ they warned us about. Of course, almost no one understood what was meant by this, or ‘The Great Reset’ . . . or the ‘Going Direct’ reset (a year earlier).
I hope you’ll take a little time to read my four-part piece on Neoliberalism, especially if you see yourself somewhere on the Libertarian ‘spectrum.’ But let me return home again, to Durham Region, and our new (surprise) 10-year Strategic Plan.
As I have said to Councillors and staff in my own home town (and at the Region), our Region Strategic Plan should be torn up and thrown out. . . The same should happen everywhere, of course, because Councillors, everywhere, have all been ‘Delphied.’
The same old Delphic performance is being staged today (metaphorically speaking), and ‘the stage’ set to usher in Agenda 2030. There is increasing criticism of this process however, and the following is an illustration of how this method may be misused (in my opinion). After all, on the heels of Durham’s new Strategic Plan came the truly alarming 10-year financial projections, that will saddle taxpayers with massive amounts of new debt, and ever increasing taxes.
‘Delphied’ (past participle) freshly-coined conjugation of the noun / now verb — ‘to Delphi’ (application of the ‘Delphi Technique’ in the real world). And the ‘Delphiing’ (gerund) continues (spelling? Maybe this is appropriate, as in: skiing).
Earnest Councillors and earnest staffers are all seemingly doing their earnest best for the community, as local residents and taxpayers are maneuvered into guaranteeing a return on investment for Global investors through the municipal debt market, and those clever Public Private Partnership (P3) partners (‘Stakeholders’) who are itching to build infrastructure for the ‘replacement population’ of Durham Region.
Perhaps other jurisdictions are not quite so transparent (we can give our Regional Council credit for this at least); or perhaps those sophisticated Internationalist city-slickers (who communicate their wishes to ‘oracles’ through the ‘vapours’ in our Municipal Council Chambers) think we’re just a bunch of sleepy-head ‘country bumpkins’ (in this beautiful, and largely rural, region of ours). Maybe they’re right? They certainly fooled our elected representatives on the Regional Council; though some, in fairness, have tried to speak out.
A shadow (shadowy) government of special interests (and ‘focus groups’) has been running Canada’s Government/s for years (until 2020, of course, when all was revealed). Despite the Rebellion of 1837, the notion of Responsible Government was short-lived, at best (if it was every a reality). The ‘Family Compact’ and Château Clique oligarchs retreated into the shadows for a time. . . but they’re back now, it seems.
Every now and again, the puppet masters show their hand. They’ve shown their cards too (at the risk of mixing my metaphors), well ahead of the next municipal elections. What we are confronting now (at the end of the latest monetary cycle) with all those Agenda 2030 SDGs bearing down on us (though much of the rest of the world couldn’t care less about Net Zero) is the preparation for an ‘asset transfer’ like we’ve never seen before; on a scale larger, even, than that of the Great Depression (scroll to the bottom of this article).
No one on Council (or at the oversized, egregiously overstaffed and overpaid Region HQ) has any experience with such a things; so this is not a ‘conspiracy’ (as such) on their part. Councillors and town employees are (for the most part) being manipulated too, and I suspect most are totally oblivious.
No one at the Region (or on our municipal Councils or staff) lived through the Depression, or the 1944 Bretton-Woods monetary reset. Few would remember the 1971 to 74 reset (the end of gold-backed money and the introduction of a ‘floating’ exchange rate system). Some might have been on staff 1991 to 1994, but I guarantee they were unaware of the introduction of the 0% Reserve, Capital Adequacy system, which (in part) lead to the Great Financial Crisis. And besides, those who enjoy public sector pay, and indexed OMERS pensions, are so comfortably insulated from the financial realities of life that they learned nothing, and still know nothing — about any of this at least.
Central Bankers’ Legacy: Bank of England Governors, Sir Mervyn King (2003–2013) Mark Carney (2013–2020). Left: is King’s 2016 book, which is an exceptionally good read, and surprisingly revealing. “If [The End of Alchemy] gets the attention it deserves, it might just save the world,” wrote Michael Lewis (author of The Big Short). It might have, but King’s book didn’t get the attention it deserved. Then came Mark Carney, to manage England’s continuing decline, before returning to Canada where, as Prime Technocrat Minister, he presides over the implementation of what is know as the “Going Direct” reset. I haven’t included his book, Values (though perhaps I will post of review of both these works later) because his Keynote speech in Jackson Hole in 2019 (that has come to be known as ‘Going Direct’) is, in fact, his real Legacy. In effect, this is the managed decline (some would say ‘demolition’) of the old monetary system, setting the stage for a replacement system, more commonly referred to as ‘The Great Reset.’
In 2016, when Former Bank of England Governor, Sir. Mervyn King (‘Merv the Swerve’ as the British people knew him) told us that another crisis was ‘inevitable’ — and that it would be “exponentially worse” than the 2007/8 Great Financial Crisis (GFC) — Mark Carney (‘Carnage,’ as those irreverent Brits called him) was already on the job.
Banks didn’t reform as they might have — King lamented. Meanwhile, on other fronts — adding fiscal pressure at the same time — the public sector only got larger, and salaries continued their upward trajectory. This only accelerated in 2020. . . but no matter what, the ‘bewildered herd’ tax cattle (pacified with the few bones thrown to them — in the form CERB money — and distracted by the Covid circus) continued to pony up whatever tribute was demanded from them.
Such is the extent of the mind-control (or public opinion research). The oracles of Delphi knew a thing or two (or those who staged their performance at least – and I shudder to think what these girls were subjected to behind the scenes); and in this same tradition, governments — those rulers of the mind (Guber-mente) — continue to extract tribute from their tax slaves.
The spell is breaking though, and the extortion racket may be about to end.
Only the most mind-controlled (or complicit), at this point, is ‘unable’ to see what the numbers are telling us. Before we take a closer look however, let’s return to Durham Region’s ‘Delphic Oracle for hire’ — the consultant who imparted ‘strategic foresight’ on our Councillors. We will dig more deeply into this in a future post, as all of the factors to be kept in mind while drafting ‘Envision Durham’ — when “unimaginable” becomes real — were misrepresented, incorrect, exaggerated, or (a year later) irrelevant. In concert with this dubious 10-year plan, of course, came those disturbing 10-year financial projections; currently at $7.4 billion.
As you will see, those of you who pay the salaries of everyone on the Region’s payroll (your employees) — and the fees for all those experts, consultants and shadowy spirits (communicating through ‘the vapours’) — you are specifically ignored.
All the world’s a stage.
As You Like It (Act II, Scene VII).
And to set this stage: We are nearing the end of a special Council meeting here — a meeting dedicated to the ‘shaping’ of our new, ‘surprise’ 10-year Strategic Plan. The budget took two full days to hash out, but the 10-year ‘Strategic Plan,’ by comparison, was over (but not done with) in just under 6 hours. Here, a few last ‘questions’ are being accepted as our current Regional Council wraps up for the day (at a meeting that will inform every policy — and tax — decision, for the next ten years).
At the 5 hour and 35 minute mark, Regional Councillor (head of council for the Municipality of Clarington) poses a question on “push polling and surveys” to the Commissioner of Strategic Initiatives — in a theatrical exchange presented (it seems to me) to allay any concerns that something untoward might be afoot:
“Can we use a survey as a way of gathering information, and perhaps promoting ideas or educating at the same time? I hesitate to use the word, ‘doing it more cleanly’. . . have you put any thought into that?”
5:36:18 The Commissioner responds (with exaggerated emphasis):
“Of course we have” (laughter). “I liked the conversation earlier about the amount of skill and expertise and diversity of thought in this room. So, maybe you don’t know, my previous career before I came to government was public opinion research. So we’ve thought a lot about this survey.”
The Commissioner continues:
“There are absolutely methodological approaches to providing some education within the survey content that in no way leads the respondent. That kind of clarity is important to us, from a research perspective. I will say that we use the surveys as a tool for engagement. . . we don’t ever purport that they are representative of our population plus or minus 3.5%. That requires going out and ensuring that you have representative samples and doing weighting, and ensuring you’ve got your proper cross-section. We do this as an ‘open survey’ and then what is more targeted are those focus groups, where we’re really looking to get to some of our harder to reach population that might not complete a survey.”
5:37:33 The Regional Councillor: “So we’re not ten minutes past the meeting, and that was a brilliant answer, Mr. Chair.”
5:37:40 The consultant steps in: “Thank you.” Completing this phase of the presentation on behalf of the Chair, before moving on to the ‘Next Steps,’ the ‘Public Consultations and Community Survey’ education. . . Education “that in no way leads the survey respondent,” of course.
As the Consultant said to the Councillors present at the beginning of this process (36:50), this is “the opportunity to give your input so that we can make this strategy even better. I’m not writing it, I’m just facilitating the conversation, it’s really yours to produce.”
But wait. . .
“We don’t even purport that they [‘open surveys’] are representative of our population plus or minus 3.5%. That requires going out and ensuring that you have representative samples and doing weighting, and ensuring you’ve got your proper cross-section.”
So these weren’t really surveys, at all; but rather, ‘methodological’ tools designed to produce a predetermined outcome — supposedly, ‘a Vision’ for the Region.
“We do this as an open survey, and then what is more targeted are those focus groups where we’re really looking to get to some of our harder to reach population that might not complete a survey.”
You might be curious why this ‘harder to reach population’ was ‘harder to reach,’ and whose ‘vision’ was this, really? Why might the ‘harder to reach’ population not have been able to complete a survey unassisted? Instead (we’re told) the desired responses (all schemes of the UN, WEF and such; coincidentally, of course) were cherry-picked — and anything not aligned with their ‘Agenda 2030,’ ‘Net Zero,’ ‘Vision Zero’ Visions, was then discarded. This would explain the overwhelming support outlined, with as much as 97% of respondents in favour of the ‘pathways’ chosen — a little like those ‘voter’ returns in banana republic dictatorships, where 100% of the population re-elect their Great Leader. . . And no one ever believes these numbers of course.
Question: Would you like a better, more equitable, sustainable, resilient and vibrant life?
100% of our respondents said ‘YES’ . . . What’s not to love? So here’s our Plan.
We are told, those envisioning Durham Region’s future and crafting the ‘pathways’ to a better life (over ‘the vapours’ of the Delphic Council Chamber) decided to exclude anyone who might have completed such a survey on their own. To this point, the suggestions of people I know were certainly ignored — but we’d not undergone the requisite ‘education’ of course. Those excluded here also appear to be the so-called “heritage residents” (as established long-term residents of Durham Region are known).
But Durham Region property taxes don’t even come close (anymore) to covering the costs (of the new 10-year projected spending). Property tax revenue is mostly gobbled up to pay for salaries and benefits of Councils and staff, the schemes they envision and the massive amounts of borrowing required to pay for everything.
All of which was announced at a debenture committee meeting in 2023, so this shouldn’t really be a surprise. From an email to Council after I sat in on this meeting:
‘[The Committee Chair] introduces [the Commissioner of Finance (20:30 mins in). The following is a partial transcript (key points highlighted):
‘[T]he region will be engaging in a more significant amount of borrowing on our behalf and on behalf of the local Municipalities in the coming years, and that means we need to restructure how we borrow. We traditionally did what’s called serial debentures, and those generally are for 70 or 75 million [dollars] or less. If we need to move away from that, if we’re doing larger volumes in the amounts of borrowing, and that means that we need to move to what’s called bullet debentures and sinking funds, and those require debenture committee. So this debenture committee is set up to help us essentially advance and modernize how we’re dealing with our debt issuance. . .’
Maybe the local tax cattle are happier to not know any of this? Our Councillors certainly don’t seem interested; some of them seem quite happy to ignore the obvious, and to keep you paying those ever increasing taxes — while some of them (I’m feel certain) have their personal ‘exit plans’ already in place. Our public servants all have nice public sector salaries and indexed OMERS pension to look forward to. Maybe they even have homes somewhere else (Costa Rica maybe), and a plan to leave Durham shortly after they leave office?
Councillors, take your leave!
Bizarrely, in a follow up meeting (when the information from all that public consultation had been collected) a celebration of Durham’s new vision for the future was presented — “Framing the Future We Want” — (I’m not sure who ‘We’ is) but Councillors were invited to leave; as if the new 10-year Strategic Plan could not possibly be of any interest to any of them (or their constituents).
Ironically, following the pitch for a $1 billion Cable Car project in Oshawa (the bulk of this video), The Chair announces to “members of Council”: “ if you’d like to take your leave now, please take your leave!” (3:38:18). There’s nothing like plausible deniability, of course, when you’re wanting to move something forward that taxpayers might later discover and disapprove of. Best just take a taxpayer funded afternoon off . . .
Following the DURHAM REGION 50th Anniversary Review (3:39:08). Students’ ‘visions’ for the Region were presented (3:41:30). At (3:42:07) one particular ‘vision’ for Durham was presented as a spontaneous walk-and-talk video. We are expected to believe (to have ‘faith’ no less) that this was actually not scripted; but no young person speaks like this unless they have been coached. We all know those UN buzzwords and catchphrases, and their use is always the first clue that a Globalist agenda is being advances; couched (as always) in fuzzy feel-good, ‘inclusive’ language. Those old wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Is the new, surprise 10-year Strategic Plan, a real ‘Vision’ for Durham Region, as ‘envisioned’ by one of the Region’s own (young residents)? I don’t think so. Of course, no one here calls this out; in the January 2025 meeting (or any of these meetings).
At the 19 minute mark in the Oct 9th meeting, a report on the visioning session: ‘The 2025 plan reflects a community Vision, strategic directions, and Pathways for the future of Durham Region over the next 10 years.’ “Which again, reflects your direction at the beginning of the process, to develop a plan that went beyond the 5-year time horizon,” we are told. . . But:
The above, as you see, appears 5hrs 20minutes into the January 25, 2024 ‘Special Regional Council Meeting.’ It seems most of the Councillors (even in this initial survey) were not aware that a 10-year plan was an actual option; hence, zero votes for this timeline. Less than half of our Regional Councillors (13) bothered to respond to this survey, out of 29 representatives (of the people).
Were the others completely derelict? Or did they know that these were not real surveys, and those administering things were going to do what they wanted regardless? We don’t know which Councillors participated (or not) in the survey. Of those Councillors who responded in person, in the meeting — Roy, Lee, Kerr, Schummer, etc. — all opted for either a four or five year plan.
The “direction at the beginning of the process” did not then reflect a duration “beyond the 5-year time horizon.” This idea was introduced by the consultant and the Commissioner of Strategic Initiatives; and somewhere (at some point) it was decided this wasn’t important enough to warrant a vote (by elected representatives). This staggeringly expensive decision (therefore) was purely bureaucratic; and it amounts to ‘Taxation without representation’ (as they used to say).
Importantly, in this meeting, Councillor Schummer (then Mayor of Brock) stated new Councils “can always decide to do a new Strategic Plan themselves.” ( 5:24:15). This is something to keep in mind. . . and to which we must return, as this may be the only way out of our current financial ‘Crisis’ ( a word used 7 times in the budget meeting).
Skipping ahead now to that meeting, and the 10-year budget and financial projections. In the course of the two-day deliberations, various departments weighed in; public works, transportation, police services, etc.
When it came time for ‘Finance and Administration’ to report (8:11:15) the Committee Chair (who didn’t attend the meeting in person) had not prepared a “formal report” and for some reason, did not want to appear on camera either (Laughter in Council Chambers at this). “Any questions? Seeing none,” declares the Regional Chair, “So we’ll just move on!”
And that was that!
The joke is on all of us though, the taxpayers of Durham Region. So the department responsible for issuing debt, and the department responsible for the administration (with its massive salary and pension benefits burden on taxpayers), couldn’t be bothered to issue a formal statement. . . nor could our representatives be bothered to ask any questions. Shortly thereafter, of course, came the shocking multi-billion dollar 10-year ‘Capital Budget forecasts,’ that the Chair actually said (at 6:31:50 in that same meeting) “. . . will drive municipalities to bankruptcy.” But “nobody seems to notice, and nobody seems to care” — in the words of George Carlin. Apparently, it’s all a joke.
Interestingly, the Chair of Finance and Administration introduced the outgoing Commission of Finance at that earlier referenced Debenture Committee meeting. Staff (at least) knew that there was massive spending (taxing and spending – in ‘The New Fiscal Age’) in the pipeline, long before the mystery 10-year Strategic Plan, and those alarming 10-year financial projections.
Were our representatives not paying attention? More importantly, why are they still most still ignore this issue as the municipal elections approach? I’ve been writing about the ‘New Fiscal Age’ for years now, and sadly, I’ve not been able to communicate what this is, and what it means to taxpayers.
The plan, you will understand now (I’m sure) is to ‘extract equity from your home’ (and property) in the form of taxes; from the Durham ‘Cash Cow’ baby boomer generation mainly (the irony of this, because most of you remember — stories at least — of the era above. Baby boomers are direct descendants of the Great Depression). So this has all happened before of course, in the whip-saw of inflation and deflation caused by the monetary machinations of those central bankers. . . but this time, don’t forget, it’s ‘The Great Reset.’
So, before you lose your home (and all of your assets), to digitization and tokenization (in the coming ‘Great Stagflation’), I hope you’ll ‘Like’ what I have to share here (the result of hundreds of hours of work, and many Carbon Emissions).
Hopefully, what I’ve shared this time though, has painted a clearer picture, and more readers begin to understand the gravity of this situation. I feel I’m being shadow banned here (in fact, I know this is the case, should you read comments on my last post), and this is why it’s been a challenge to build any meaningful, and engaged, readership.
There were not too many other people sitting in on the Council meetings I’ve been attending over the past few years (many a time I was the only person there, in the audience), but if enough of you understand what I’m sharing with you here, I believe we can turn things around. And we must turn things around.
Thank you, again, for your interest, and your support. . . and maybe we’ll see you at our next ‘open’ public townhall meeting, later this month.