 During his time at university, Nickel served as President of the University of Alberta Students' Union from 1985 to 1986 and was active in the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.In 1995, Nickel was a founding member of the Edmonton Stickmen, a group of young businessmen who were critical of then-mayor Jan Reimer for what they saw as anti-business policies.Reimer was defeated in that election by Bill Smith, against whom Nickel ran unsuccessfully in the 1998 and 2001 municipal elections, finishing second and third respectively.