David Nickle

Communications Professional / Writer / Journalist

As a former journalist who has spent decades covering Toronto communities and local government and a media / communications advisor working with civic leaders, I bring a wealth of skills and experience to any communications role. I can help you tell your story through words, images and video, and hone your message and narrative when dealing with the news-media.

Portfolio

Articles

During the course of my career as a journalist, I’ve written extensively about Toronto City government and politics, and learned to communicate often complicated information about finance, infrastructure and planning and development. I have told stories about business, science and technology, and the people in Toronto’s diverse communities. Here is a sampling.

This is a profile on Dr. Saveed John, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus, honoured for his work on light-trapping crystals.

Read more at the Mississauga News.
This is my first story on a detailed investigation into City Councillor Jim Karygiannis’ election spending in 2018, that eventually led to his removal from office.

Read more at the Toronto Star.

Read more at Toronto.com.
This is a story I wrote about an Etobicoke-based firm working on wearable medical-monitoring technology.

Read more at Toronto.com.
This is an article about an East York coffee shop owner, pivoting his business in the early months of the pandemic.

Read more at Toronto.com.

Newsletters

Over the past year I have written, edited and curated electronics newsletters for two Toronto Councillors: former Willowdale Councillor John Filion and more recently, Toronto-Danforth Councillor Paula Fletcher. These four samples demonstrate my range of storytelling and communication strategies outside a journalistic context.


In the May 27 edition of Councillor Filion’s newsletter, I wrote about Flip Kitchens, an incubator for food services entrepreneurs that the Councillor had championed.

Read the Newsletter.

In the June 24 edition of Councillor Filion’s newsletter, I wrote a profile of a local artist to celebrate Canada Day, and a sensitive critique of police policy that Councillor Filion asked me to take on.

Read the Newsletter.

This newsletter was Councillor Filion’s first communication with his constituents after he announced he would not seek re-election. It was a shorter newsletter, but included a bylined piece by me about Councillor Filion’s career. The newsletter followed the Councillor’s announcement of his retirement in the Toronto Star.

Read the Newsletter.
In the January 13 edition of Councillor Fletcher’s issue, we opened discussions on Mayor John Tory’s budget.

Read the Newsletter

Video Production

During the 2022 municipal election, I wrote, shot and edited several campaign videos for Willowdale council candidate Markus O’Brien Fehr, and applied those same skills in Councillor Paula Fletcher’s office in late 2022 and early 2023. Here is a selection of four videos.

I wrote, filmed and edited this video introducing Toronto City Council candidate Markus O’Brien Fehr to Willowdale voters in the September 2022 municipal election.
Markus O’Brien Fehr was passionate in his support of a controversial modular supportive housing project in Willowdale. I wrote, filmed and edited this video, which helped establish the candidate’s principled stance on affordable housing.
I filmed and edited this video accompanying Councillor Fletcher celebrating the Lunar New Year in Toronto’s east Chinatown in 2023.
In December 2022, I filmed, wrote and edited this video highlighting Councillor Fletcher’s involvement in the preservation of 760 units of scattered affordable housing in Toronto’s east end.

Contact David Nickle:
Telephone: 416-912-6693
Email: davidnickle@gmail.com

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