Meet Niki
Niki Lundquist is your current Centre Ward Councillor, Chair of Government and former Deputy Mayor. She lives with her family in downtown Whitby and is a proud mother of two sons. Niki is a practicing human rights and labour lawyer, mediator and workplace investigator. She is also a former Trustee, Vice Chair and Chair of Finance for the DDSB. Her knowledge of procedure and governance has made her a go-to voice for leadership roles throughout her career. Niki founded Caremongers Whitby, a not-for-profit that provided seniors, vulnerable residents and foodbanks with support using a direct, neighbour-helping-neighbour model. She has unique and deep insight into the needs of vulnerable people in our community. Her volunteer efforts were recognized by the Region of Durham and by Whitby Rotary, which awarded her the Paul Harris Fellowship. Niki is a rare kind of person in political life: one who really listens, speaks plainly, offers explanations but no excuses, and advocates tirelessly for the things she believes matter.
Niki continues to use the network that she has built over many years of community involvement to support local residents and strengthen Whitby’s food security efforts. She understands that lasting solutions to food insecurity will require policy changes, but also understands that people need help today. That is why every community event she has hosted includes a request for food bank donations, including at “Pumpkins in the Park”, which she organizes and sponsors herself and brings to the Centre Ward community, free of charge, every November 1st.
In May, Niki, along with the leadership team, reinvigorated Caremongers Whitby in response to unprecedented demand at local food banks. Together, with the support of thousands of residents, Caremonger volunteers held the “Great Whitby Food Drive”. They collected and distributed tens of thousands of dollars worth of food amongst 5 Whitby food banks including those at All Saints, Salvation Army, Westminster United, Whitby Baptist and St. Andrew’s churches. Niki’s demonstrated commitment to service extends far beyond food drives. Over the years she has volunteered with many organisations including EA Fairman SCC, Perry House Daycare, Brooklin Optimists, PFLAG and the Durham Region Challengers where she played a significant role in fundraising for an accessible baseball diamond.
Niki’s approach to community service is simple: if she can help, she will.
Niki remains an active participant in the community. She provides pro bono legal services to community organisations, speaks and lectures on human rights, labour, equity and justice, and continues to volunteer at community events wherever she can.
As a first-term councillor, she has taken on leadership positions and demonstrated her strengths in governance and procedure and common sense approaches to moving issues forward. Niki has earned a reputation for not being afraid to ask tough questions, challenge assumptions, or speak up when she believes that the Town can do things better.
After 3.5 years on Council, Niki has seen firsthand how decisions made at Durham Region shape everyday life for residents in Centre Ward and believes we can do better. Niki will advocate for her community’s needs thoughtfully, effectively and respectfully. Whether those conversations are about community safety and policing, housing and homelessness, transit or road safety, or tough budgets, she will bring fearlessness, knowledge and experience to the table. For Niki, public service isn’t about titles or politics. It is about showing up, doing the work, and delivering the results for the people she serves.