By Martin Sit

Every year on January 28, Bell Let’s Talk Day takes place — but what exactly is this campaign, and why does it matter? 

Bell Let’s Talk Day is a campaign created by Bell Canada to raise awareness about mental illness in Canada. This year’s Bell Let’s Talk Day raised more than $7.9 million for Canadian mental health.

On every Bell Let’s Talk Day, the telecommunications company donates five cents to Canadian mental health organizations for every view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video. This is shared on a variety of social media platforms including, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter, Youtube, and Snapchat.

Five cents are also donated for every call, text, tweet, or TikTok video using the hashtag #BellLetsTalk, as well as Snapchat or Facebook videos created with the Bell Let’s Talk filter.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 1 in 5 Canadians experience a mental illness or mental health problem in any given year. Evidently, mental illness is a major problem in the country. 

It is important that campaigns such as Bell Let’s Talk Day continue to support mental health initiatives and Canadians who have mental illness. In fact, Bell Let’s Talk is the largest corporate commitment to mental health in Canada. 

Ever since the inauguration of Bell Let’s Talk Day on January 28, 2011, over 1.32 billion interactions have been logged, and over $113 million has been committed to mental health initiatives.