Okanagan Echo Civic Series: Nikki Csek
Okanagan Echo asked all 11 women running for council the same four questions about why they’re running, the priorities they would bring to City Hall, the experience they offer and what they want residents to know before voting.
Kelowna voters will head to the polls on October 17, 2026, to elect a mayor and eight city councillors. The official field includes 37 candidates for council, including the 11 women featured here. Advance voting begins October 7.
Nikki Csek is a Kelowna entrepreneur and community leader who has called the city home since 1998. She is the founder and CEO of Csek Creative and NowMedia Group and has served in a number of local leadership roles, including as President of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and on the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission Advisory Council. Her work has spanned business, communications, economic development and community initiatives across the region.
Here are Nikki Csek's responses.
OE: What made you decide to run for Kelowna City Council in 2026?
NC: I have called Kelowna home for 28 years, and I believe where you live, you give. This city has given my family so much. We raised our family here, cared for my aging parents in our home until they passed, and today my daughter and granddaughter live with us. I want the next generation to have the same opportunities we had.
Through my work, I talk with business owners and residents every day, and I keep hearing the same concerns: people do not feel safe, housing is out of reach, and taxes keep rising without clear results. I am allergic to small thinking, and I believe Kelowna deserves leadership that sets the bar high, listens carefully and delivers. After years of serving on boards and building community initiatives, I am ready to bring that experience to council.
OE: What are the three issues you believe should be priorities for the next council?
NC:
Public safety comes first. I support better lighting, a relaunched neighbourhood watch, full enforcement on repeat offenders, freeing police from paperwork so they can walk our streets, and real pathways to recovery, including involuntary care and programs like Freedom's Door. Supportive housing and harm reduction cannot be our main approach.
Second, responsible spending. I will push for a full budget review, done respectfully in partnership with staff. Council are stewards of every resident's dollar, so nothing should be off the table and every dollar must be effective.
Third, housing and infrastructure for real incomes. We should densify where it makes sense, but I believe it was a mistake to stop planning new single-family neighbourhoods. We also need to fund our long-range plans, renew our older neighbourhoods and protect our water for the long term.
OE: What experience or perspective would you bring to council?
NC: I bring a business owner's discipline and a community builder's heart. Through Csek Creative and KelownaNow, I have worked with thousands of businesses across hundreds of sectors, mostly here in the Okanagan.
I have chaired multiple boards, led mergers and acquisitions, and guided organizations through disruptive change. I created Best of Kelowna and Kelowna Santas, and our Level Up Leadership Conference brought Stephen Harper and Jean Chrétien to Kelowna.
I also served on the Mayor's Task Force for the Performing Arts, which recommended renovating the Kelowna Community Theatre and building a new performing arts centre. My approach is simple: listen more than I talk, look at the facts, weigh the cost against the results and work toward consensus. I am solution-focused, and if a better idea comes forward, I am willing to reconsider.
OE: What is one thing you want Kelowna residents to understand about you before they cast their ballots?
NC: I will listen to you, and I will do the work. At every door I knock on, I hear something new, whether it is a worry about safety, the cost of housing or the future of our water. I take those conversations seriously. I will not pretend to have every answer on day one, but I will ask good questions, study the issues and make decisions based on what works for residents, not what is popular in the moment.
Family matters to me, and so does this city. I set the bar high for myself, and I will set it high for council too. Kelowna has everything it needs to thrive. We just need leadership that is thoughtful, accountable and willing to think big.
Explore the full Civic Series This interview is part of Okanagan Echo’s 2026 Civic Series featuring the women running for Kelowna City Council. Visit the main series page to read the profiles and responses from all 11 candidates.
Okanagan Echo thanks all participating candidates for sharing their time and perspectives with residents.
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