We help to reduce your debt by up to 80% and get you back on track. Up to 97% of families successfully complete the plans we create and become debt free.
Ajax and Pickering households and local business owners work with David Heysel to build a realistic plan for their debt, rebuild their credit and get their monthly budget back under control.
David joined 4 Pillars as a debt consultant in 2020. Before that, he spent eight years in the finance industry helping Canadian families repair their credit. He has worked on debt plans ranging from about $10,000 to well over $100,000, and he also helps clients with budgeting and credit rebuilding.
Pickering has been home for David and his family since 2016. When he isn’t meeting clients, you’ll likely find them hiking or camping on the trails a short drive from home. He runs his practice from a private home office in Pickering, so conversations about money stay confidential and appointments can fit around shift work, the GO train schedule or school pickup.
If your Ajax or Pickering budget is built around getting into Toronto (a monthly GO Lakeshore East pass, gas and parking for the 401, or 407 tolls from north Pickering), those costs add up fast. When they sit alongside a mortgage, childcare and credit card balances, a single surprise expense can tip the month into the red. David starts by mapping where your money actually goes, then lays out the debt relief options that fit your income. Sometimes that’s a budgeting and money coaching plan; sometimes it’s a formal solution. See every service we offer.
For Ajax and Pickering residents who owe more than they can repay in full, a consumer proposal lets you offer to repay part of your unsecured debts through a Licensed Insolvency Trustee, with payments spread over up to five years. David isn’t a trustee and 4 Pillars doesn’t file proposals. He helps you work out an offer you can afford, explains the process, and introduces you to a trustee who files and administers it. Creditors vote on the offer, so the outcome isn’t guaranteed.
Durham Region residents are part of a larger trend. According to the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy, the Toronto economic region, which includes Durham along with Toronto, York and Peel, recorded 21,148 consumer insolvencies in 2025. 17,607 of them (about 83%) were consumer proposals. How a consumer proposal works.
Bankruptcy can make sense for an Ajax or Pickering renter with little equity and income that can’t support a proposal, but it’s usually not the first option for homeowners in neighbourhoods like Seaton or Duffin Heights who have built equity. Only a Licensed Insolvency Trustee can file a bankruptcy. David will walk you through what it would mean for your home, vehicle and RRSPs before you meet one. Read about bankruptcy.
If your credit is still in good shape, a consolidation loan from your bank or credit union, or a refinance for Pickering and Ajax homeowners, may roll several payments into one. Consolidation doesn’t lower what you owe, and moving card balances onto your mortgage puts your home on the line. If a lender has already turned you down, David can compare the alternatives with you, including options for homeowners and debt management plans.
It starts with a phone call, where David gets a sense of your situation and the options that might apply. If you’d like to go further, you’ll meet him in person at his Pickering office to go through the details. From there, he helps you put the plan in place, and once your debt is dealt with, he can help you with rebuilding your credit. Your first one-hour consultation is free. Ask David about any costs before you commit to anything.
Live in Whitby, Oshawa or Clarington? Our Oshawa and Courtice pages cover the eastern side of Durham. For Toronto’s eastern edge, see Scarborough.
Yes. David meets clients by appointment at his private home office in Pickering, including evenings and weekends for anyone commuting into Toronto during the week.
Unpaid 407 tolls are an unsecured debt. In 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that once you’re discharged from bankruptcy, 407 ETR can no longer use licence-plate denial to collect the discharged toll debt. If you’re considering a consumer proposal instead, ask the trustee how your 407 balance will be handled.
It depends on your equity, income and other debts. Options can include refinancing, a budget reset or a consumer proposal that deals with your unsecured debts while you keep your home. David can compare them with you before you talk to a lender or trustee.
David has owned and run several businesses himself, and he works with Durham Region owners who are juggling personal and business debts. He’ll help you sort out which debts are personal and what options apply, and point you to a trustee where a formal filing is needed.
Call 905-243-8765 or use the form on this page. Your first one-hour consultation is free.
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