- Discover the stories of 41 Friends of Bell Let's Talk who have
struggled with mental illness
- Take part in events across the country, including new Bell
Let's Talk flag raisings
- Get ready to talk, text and get engaged on Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram and Snapchat tomorrow to help fight the stigma and drive
Bell's donations to mental health
- Learn more at Bell.ca/LetsTalk
MONTRÉAL, Jan. 29, 2019 /CNW
Telbec/ - Canadians everywhere and people around the world
will be talking, texting and joining in on social media tomorrow
for Bell Let's Talk Day. To get ready, we invite you to take part
in Bell Let's Talk events today and tomorrow and learn more from
those who have struggled with mental illness.
"I am so honoured to be part of the Friends of Bell Let's Talk
campaign and grateful for the positive response from Canadians as
we share our experiences with mental illness," said Dr.
Manon Charbonneau, a psychiatrist
who tells her story of depression alongside 40 other Friends of
Bell Let's Talk as part of this year's awareness campaign.
"Mental illness does not discriminate – it touches us all. I look
forward to being part of the conversation tomorrow and encourage
all Canadians to join in to build on the progress we're all making
in mental health."
The Friends of Bell Let's Talk join the Bell Let's Talk team
that gets people everywhere talking about mental health, including
spokespeople Howie Mandel,
Marie-Soleil Dion, Michael Landsberg, Michel Mpambara, Stefie
Shock, Mary Walsh and Étienne
Boulay, and community ambassadors Toronto Maple Leafs head coach
Mike Babcock, pro golfer
Andrew Jensen, comedian Kevin Breel, retired CFL player Shea Emry, singer-songwriter Séan McCann, Royal
Canadian Navy veteran Bruno Guévremont, comedian Jessica Holmes, musician Florence K and actress
Véronique Bannon.
Bell Let's Talk Events
Please see below for a list of
Bell Let's Talk events taking place across the country today and
tomorrow. This year, communities and organizations will also show
their support for the mental health cause with Bell Let's Talk flag
raisings (joining earlier flag raisings by the Ottawa Senators, North Bay Battalion, and
Niagara Ice Dogs).
JANUARY 29
Parliament Hill Mental Health Event
Mary Deacon joins Members of Parliament and
Senators on Parliament Hill at 12 noon
ET to discuss how they can support the mental health
conversation.
Canadian Paralympic Committee: Mental Health in the sport
industry
The Canadian Paralympic Committee will host a
breakfast seminar on mental health in the sport industry at
7:30 am ET in Ottawa for government officials, partners and
delegates from various national sport organizations.
Stefie Shock in
Montréal
Stefie will perform a live show from the Bell Media
studios in Montréal at 5 pm ET,
including As-tu deux minutes, a new song about anxiety from his
upcoming album Le Fruit du
Hasard.
Bruno Guévremont in Halifax
Bruno will speak with employees
of the Nova Scotia Office of Workplace Mental Health at 12 noon AT
and at the Nova Scotia Community College Ivany Campus at
1:30 pm AT. He will also visit with
Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) employees in Halifax at 3:30
pm AT.
Beth Beattie in Toronto
Beth will speak with 700
students in grades 7 to 12 at The Bishop Strachan School.
Shreya Patel in Mississauga
Shreya will participate on
a mental health panel with employees of Intuit Canada at
2 pm ET.
Andrew Jensen in Winnipeg
Andrew will present a Bell Let's Talk
Community Fund cheque to the Children's Hospital Foundation of
Manitoba at 9:30 am CT.
Bell Let's Talk flag raisings:
Charlottetown City Hall
Nova Scotia Legislature, Halifax
Quinte Sports and Wellness
Centre
RCMP D Division Headquarters, Winnipeg
RCMP Headquarters, Ottawa
JANUARY 30
Bell Media's Bell Let's Talk Day primetime
specials
CTV Your Morning's Anne-Marie Mediwake hosts In Their Own Words: A
Bell Let's Talk Day Special, an all-new primetime special
premiering at 7 pm ET/PT on CTV
and CTV2. The 1-hour special, featuring stories from Canadians
living with mental illness, will be simulcast on Twitter,
CTV.ca and the CTV app as part of a 3-hour Bell Let's
Talk Live interactive special.
Olympic medalist Sylvie Fréchette and comedian
Félix-Antoine Tremblay (Le Chalet, Code G.) host Quand la maladie mentale s'invite, a documentary
that looks at 4 organizations working with people coping with
mental health issues, exploring themes of family, work, everyday
life and the street. Airing on RDS at 7:30
pm and 11:30 pm ET, Canal Vie
and Z at 9 pm ET and Canal D at
10 pm ET, the documentary will be
available to stream at 10 pm ET on
VRAK.tv, RDS.ca, Canal Vie and Z and at 11 pm ET at Canal D.
Twitter Live event
Hosted by CTV's The Social and Your
Morning's Melissa Grelo
from 6:45 pm to 10 pm ET, Bell
Let's Talk Live features interviews with medical experts, political
leaders, celebrities and other guests. The special recaps moments
from throughout the day, including segments from The Marilyn Denis
Show, The Social, Etalk and CTV News, and highlights contributions
from celebrities and social media. Bell Let's Talk
Live streams in simulcast with In Their Own Words: A Bell
Let's Talk Day Special from 7 to 8 pm
ET. Viewers can connect with the show on Twitter using
@Bell_LetsTalk and #BellLetsTalk.
Jessica Holmes in Toronto
Jessica joins The
Social as fifth chair for a special Bell Let's Talk Day
episode.
Robin Williams documentary at
Hot Docs
In partnership with Hot Docs and Workman Arts, a
special free screening of Robin
Williams: Come Inside My Mind takes place at the Hot Docs
Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto at
6:30 pm ET. A discussion panel
following the event will feature Bell Let's Talk team members
Mary Walsh, Jessica Holmes and Dr. Joti Samra.
Bruno Guévremont in Halifax
Bruno will take part in the
first Bell Let's Talk Day flag raising ceremony at CFB Halifax at
8 am AT before speaking with
healthcare professionals at the IWK Health Centre at 9 am AT. He then joins the annual Canadian Armed
Forces panel discussion on mental health at 2 pm AT with DND Co-Champion for Mental Health
Jerry Ryan, Commodore Chris Sutherland, Lieutenant-Colonel
David Coker, Corporal Travis Weir, Petty Officer 2nd Class
Chevonne Fisher, and psychologist
Chimène Jewer. The event will be moderated by CTV's Paul Hollingsworth with Base Operations Officer
Lieutenant-Commander Sylvie
Robinson, and will live-stream on Facebook. Bruno will
also speak with visitors at the Discovery Centre at 6 pm AT.
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Mental Health
Webinar
Traci Melchor, 2018
Champion of Mental Health Award recipient and CTV's Etalk Senior
Correspondent, joins Toronto Rehab in hosting a special mental
health webinar focused on anxiety and depression. The webinar will
be streamed live from Toronto Rehab's University Centre
beginning at 12:10 pm ET. At the
conclusion of the webinar, Traci will present a $25,000 Bell Let's Talk Community Fund cheque to
the organization.
Shea Emry in Ottawa
The Canada School of Public
Service, the Federal Youth Network and the Centre of Expertise on
Mental Health in the Workplace partner to present the Government of
Canada Bell Let's Talk Day with Shea
Emry at 12 noon ET.
Len Reynen in Ottawa
Len will speak with more than
100 nursing students at Algonquin
College.
Michel Mpambara in
Gatineau
Michel is speaking
to high school students at Collège Nouvelles Frontières.
Jonathan Thériault and Richard
Langlois in Valcartier
Jonathan and Richard will
take part in a Bell Let's Talk flag raising event at 2nd Canadian
Division Support Group at 8:30 am
ET.
Étienne Boulay in Québec City
The Festival d'été de
Québec presents a special evening for the CERVO Foundation at
Impérial Bell in Québec City at 5:30 pm
ET. The evening will be hosted by Étienne and will feature a
performance by singer-songwriter Jonathan
Roy. Free admission with reservations.
Andrew Jensen in Winnipeg
Andrew will participate in the True North
Youth Summit at Bell MTS Place at 11 am
CT. Andrew will also present a 2018 Bell Let's Talk
Community Fund cheque to the Mood Disorders Association of
Manitoba at the Spin Away
Stigma event at 1:30 pm CT.
Chris Johnson in Edmonton
Chris will participate as a
panelist at CMHA Edmonton's annual Distress Line
Breakfast at 7 am MT. Chris will
also speak at a fundraiser for the Edmonton Mental Health Awareness
Committee at Block 1912 Café at 6 pm
MT.
Raptors 905 game in support of Bell Let's Talk
At a
special Raptors 905 game at 11 am ET,
approximately 5,000 young people will receive Bell Let's
Talk/Raptors 905 toques. The game, which airs on TSN4, will be
hosted by Alexandra Chaves from
Family's The Next Step and Raptors 905 spokesperson Akil Augustine.
Peterborough Petes game in support of Bell Let's
Talk
The first 2,000 fans will receive a Bell Let's Talk
toque at the game at 7:05 pm ET,
where a special presentation will take place.
True North Project 11 Summit with Winnipeg Jets
More
than 4,000 students will be actively engaged in the conversation
around mental health as they gather at Bell MTS Place to join the
True North Youth Foundation's second annual Project 11 Summit
in a celebration of youth empowerment and wellbeing.
National Music Centre / Studio Bell
Studio Bell will
host a full day of programming focused on mental health and
music. Local Albertan artist Lyra Brown will perform a concert
alongside a mental health exhibition featuring local community
partners, music therapy presentations and a special tour of the
venue with National Music Centre CEO Andrew
Mosker.
Art and Film features at TIFF
TIFF will feature an
interactive day in support of Bell Let's Talk that explores the
ways art and film encourage meaningful connections around mental
health, including an afternoon of art-making in the atrium, a free
screening of Take Shelter followed by a panel discussion.
Reading, Writing and Mental Health
Penguin Random
House Canada will host a free public panel at 6:15 pm ET to discuss the importance of reading
and writing in relation to mental health. The discussion will be
moderated by Dr. David S. Goldbloom,
Senior Medical Advisor and psychiatrist at CAMH, and co-author of
the bestselling How Can I Help? A Week in My Life as a Psychiatrist. Panelists include
Don Gillmor, Jael Richardson and Yasuko Thanh.
Mental Health in the Workplace panel
The CERVO
Foundation will host a conference on mental health in the
workplace at Université Laval in
Québec City at 12 noon ET. Panelists
include Allison Rosenthal, General Manager of Otsuka Canada
Pharmaceutical, Marie-Nicole
Audette, Senior Manager of Workplace Health at Bell, and
Marc Corbière, Professor at the CERVO Brain Research Centre.
Minding the Gap: A Conversation on Mental Health &
Stigma
The Ismaili Centre Toronto will host a panel
event at 6 pm ET led by
Karim Mamdani, CEO of Ontario Shores
Centre for Mental Health Sciences, where participants will speak
about their experiences with mental illness.
Maternal Mental Health Meet-ups
Life with a Baby will
be hosting free meet-ups at various Indigo locations across
Canada encouraging moms to learn more about the importance of
self-care.
Polar bear dip for mental health
A polar bear dip will
take place at Black Rock Beach in Halifax at 12 noon AT to support Phoenix
Youth mental health programs.
Vancouver City Hall and BC
Place to light up blue
Vancouver City Hall and BC Place, home of the
Vancouver Whitecaps, will be lighted in blue for Bell Let's Talk
Day with electronic messaging about mental health displayed
throughout the stadium.
University and college sport games in support of Bell Let's
Talk
More than 200 universities and colleges around the
country are hosting almost 400 events and varsity games to
encourage the campus mental health conversation.
Bell Let's Talk flag raisings:
2nd Canadian Division
Support Group, Montréal
|
Moncton City
Hall
|
2nd Canadian Division
Support Group, Valcartier
|
Niagara Falls City
Hall
|
Barrie City
Hall
|
North Bay City
Hall
|
Canadian Forces
Leadership and Recruit School, Saint Jean
|
Ottawa City
Hall
|
Cape Breton Regional
Municipality City Hall
|
Peterborough City
Hall
|
CFB
Halifax
|
Peterborough
Petes
|
Churchill Town
Hall
|
Pickering City
Hall
|
Corner Brook City
Hall
|
Pointe-à-Carcy Naval
Complex, Québec City
|
Fredericton City
Hall
|
Portage and Main,
Winnipeg
|
Guelph City
Hall
|
Saint John City
Hall
|
Halifax City
Hall
|
Sault Ste. Marie City
Hall
|
Hermitage-Sandyville
Town Hall
|
St. John's City
Hall
|
HMCS Prevost,
London
|
Sudbury City
Hall
|
Iqaluit City
Hall
|
Toronto City
Hall
|
Kingston City
Hall
|
Toronto Police
Service
|
Ktunaxa
Nation
|
Toronto
Rock
|
Manitoba Legislature
(Memorial Park), Winnipeg
|
Vaughan City
Hall
|
Markham City
Hall
|
Whitehorse City
Hall
|
Milton City
Hall
|
Yellowknife City
Hall
|
Mississauga City
Hall
|
Yukon Legislature,
Whitehorse
|
Join the conversation tomorrow
Bell will donate
5 cents to Canadian mental health
programs for each of the following interactions tomorrow, at no
extra cost to participants beyond what they would normally pay
their service provider for online or phone access:
- Talk: Every mobile call and every long distance call made by
Bell wireless and phone customers
- Text: Every text message sent by Bell wireless customers
- Twitter: Every tweet and retweet using #BellLetsTalk, featuring
the special Bell Let's Talk emoji, and Bell Let's Talk Day video
view at Twitter.com/Bell_LetsTalk
- Facebook: Every view of the Bell Let's Talk Day video at
Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk and use of the Bell Let's Talk frame
- Instagram: Every Bell Let's Talk Day video view at
Instagram.com/bell_letstalk
- Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Let's Talk filter and video
view
Total Bell Let's Talk Day interactions since the first event in
2011 stand at 867,449,649 and are expected to exceed a total of 1
billion tomorrow. Bell's funding commitment for mental health,
including the company's donations based on Bell Let's Talk Day
engagement and its original $50-million donation to launch the initiative, is
now $93,423,628.80 and expected to
surpass a total of $100 million
tomorrow.
The 5 simple ways to help end the stigma around mental
illness
Together, we can all help end the stigma around
mental illness with the 5 simple ways developed by Dr. Heather Stuart, the Bell Mental Health and
Anti-Stigma Research Chair at Queen's University:
- Language matters – pay attention to the words you use about
mental illness
- Educate yourself – learn, know and talk more, understand the
signs
- Be kind – small acts of kindness speak a lot
- Listen and ask – sometimes it's best to just listen
- Talk about it – start a dialogue, break the silence
To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
@Bell_LetsTalk
@Bell_News
SOURCE Bell Canada