Highlights

Community, economy, and society

Being an engaged corporate citizen has been central to our identity for 140 years. Bell contributes to the creation of shared value for the communities we serve, for the nation’s economy, and for society through our participation in many supply chains.

In our daily activities, we have an impact on almost all aspects of the lives of Canadians. Acting responsibly is central to achieving sustainable business success and essential to the pursuit of our corporate goal: To be recognized by customers as Canada’s leading communications company.

Strengthening communities across the country

Bell strengthens communities across the country, through both the Bell Let’s Talk mental health initiative and a range of community projects, sponsorships, and the volunteer engagement of our team members. These initiatives not only support the communities involved, they also increase engagement because they reflect the deeply held values of Bell team members.

Bell Let’s Talk

Since 2010, Bell Let’s Talk has led the conversation about the impact of mental illness and the stigma that surrounds it while funding Canadian programs focused on our 4 mental health action pillars: anti-stigma, care and access, new research and workplace leadership. In 2015, Bell announced the extension of Bell Let’s Talk for another five years and an increase in its total funding commitment for Canadian mental health to at least $100 million by 2020. The 10th anniversary Bell Let’s Talk Day on January 29, 2020, resulted in a record 154,387,425 eligible interactions and, with a Bell donation of 5 cents per message, a further $7,719,371.25 in Bell funding. This brought Bell’s total commitment since 2010 to $108,415,135, exceeding the $100 million target set in 2015.

In March 2020, Bell announced the extension of the Bell Let’s Talk mental health initiative for a further 5 years and an increase in Bell’s total funding commitment for Canadian mental health to at least $150 million.

Team member giving

Bell supports our team members in a wide range of interests that go beyond the corporate focus on mental health. Through our Employee Giving Program, Bell matches donations that team members make to United Way/Centraide the Canadian Mental Health Association and Canadian universities and colleges. Bell also provides grants to charities based on and in recognition of the volunteer time commitments of team members themselves.

Children and youth

Today’s young people face challenges that simply did not exist for earlier generations. Bell partners with a wide range of youth-oriented organizations such as Kids Help Phone, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, and MediaSmarts, as well as programs like Backpacks for Kids, RE*Generation, and Computers for Schools. Northwestel also creates lasting partnerships with youth initiatives in the North. These organizations and programs help Canadian children overcome difficulties, build self-esteem, play, learn and grow in new ways.

A driving force in Canada’s economy

Bell is a driving force in Canada’s economy. With investments in advanced networks and services of approximately $4 billion in 2019,¹ Bell is delivering world-class wireline and wireless connections to more Canadians in more cities, towns and smaller communities than ever. From our all-fibre network build and innovative Wireless Home Internet service to the expansion of our ultra-fast LTE-Advanced mobile network, Bell is driving the adoption of advanced services across industries and key economic sectors while at the same time creating new opportunities for Canadians to actively participate in the digital economy.

Investing in a future for all Canadians

Canada’s ongoing prosperity depends on Canadians having access to advanced mobile and broadband networks. Today, Canada’s wireless industry alone contributes over $48 billion to Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and generates more than 320,000 jobs.² Looking ahead, the adoption of 5G technology is expected to further propel innovation and provide a $40 billion incremental boost to Canada’s GDP by 2026, generating an additional 250,000 jobs along the way.³ Canada’s communications industry is also a key component of the critically important Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, which itself contributes more than $86 billion to Canada’s GDP and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across most industries.⁴

Improving society

Our commitment to improving society

For 140 years, Bell has been a partner in social initiatives wherever we operate. We are, for example, prepared to respond quickly in the event of disasters; diligent in speaking with affected communities when we want to build new network towers; thorough when enlisting our supply-chain partners’ commitment to our high standards of ethical corporate conduct; and supportive of government, public safety and electrification of transport projects that benefit Canadian society as a whole.

Managing the supply chain

Any purchase of goods and services can generate economic, social, or environmental impacts. We carefully monitor and manage supply chain issues to mitigate adverse impacts. This is especially important because we do not manufacture any of the physical devices required for the services we offer customers. We work with a limited number of product manufacturers, some of which dominate the global market. Because of the proliferation of global sourcing and distribution, companies like Bell must be cognizant of potential issues related to labour and human rights, ethical standards, health and safety and environmental concerns along their supply chains.

Bell’s centralized procurement organization controls the strategic sourcing of goods and services, enabling us to efficiently maintain strong and productive relationships with a variety of suppliers, including manufacturers, distributors, contractors and consultants. However, supply chain disruption remains a risk for all companies that rely on suppliers to serve their customers. We have implemented a supplier risk management process to identify potential problems in key areas such as information security, business continuity, health and safety, the environment and corporate responsibility. The process includes provisions for corrective action and ongoing monitoring. We also consider sustainable criteria for our products and services, including energy consumption, recyclability, and environmental certifications as well as attributes related to human and labour rights, health and safety, and ethics.

For more details, and an overview of our Supplier Diversity Program, visit the Bell suppliers page.

Notes:

¹ For information on Bell’s financial performance, please see our Annual Report

² Nordicity, Benefits of the Wireless Telecommunications Industry to the Canadian Economy, 2017 (March 2019)

³ Accenture Strategy, Fuel for innovation: Canada’s Path in the Race to 5G (2018)

⁴ ISED, 2018 Canadian ICT Sector Profile (2019)