Bell’s annual Let’s Talk Day will return on January 22nd, 2025. This marks the company’s 15th year doing Let’s Talk Day, and this time around, it wants to put the spotlight on the youth mental health crisis.

Bell is changing its donation approach once again this year, offering a national “text-to-donate” campaign where Canadians can donate $5 by text. The company says it will match all $5 donations up to a total of $1 million, with all proceeds going to six youth mental health organizations:

Additionally, Bell said it will give $10 million towards mental health, similar to what the company did last year with a capped $10 million donation. Bell said it will bring its total Let’s Talk “investment” to $184 million since 2010.

Starting January 6th, Bell launched a new nationwide multimedia campaign to raise awareness of the youth mental health crisis and the need for more mental health support. The company’s media arm will also feature special mental health content in English and French across its TV, radio and digital properties, which includes a new French-language documentary, Les Gars, Faut Qu’on Se Parle on Crave, Canal Vie, Canal D and, later, on Noovo.

However, Bell’s Let’s Talk Day has received significant criticism in the past. In 2022, for example, Bell featured messages from various Canadian political leaders, including from those who actively harmed mental health — for example, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who cut $335 million in mental health spending.

Another point of criticism has been Bell’s treatment of its own employees, with the company laying off thousands, especially in its media division and often around the same time as Let’s Talk Day. Bell laid off employees in February 2021 and 2024 following Let’s Talk campaigns, and rumours on social media point to more Bell layoffs coming in Q1 of this year. Bell, for its part, said it doesn’t comment on rumours or speculation.

Source: Bell