TSN’s Dan O’Toole is speaking out after Bell Media’s recent mass layoffs.
The sportscaster took to social media on Saturday, appearing to share his thoughts on the company that laid off 200 staff members, including himself, just days after their annual mental health initiative.
“Let’s talk. We should. Let’s talk. Does it mean anything without a hashtag? Oh right. Wrong day,” O’Toole tweeted. “So I have to mention the company for it to mean anything?”
“But what if I was fired by the company that makes the hashtag about mental health? Do I still include them in the hashtag?”
Let’s talk. We should. Let’s talk. Does it mean anything without a hashtag? Oh right. Wrong day. So I have to mention the company for it to mean anything? But what if I was fired by the company that makes the hashtag about mental health? Do I still include them in the hashtag?
— Dan O’Toole (@notontvotoole) February 6, 2021
O’Toole appeared to question why the billion-dollar company waits for a specific date to donate money to mental health initiatives, instead of doing so year-round.
“Isn’t being fired, I don’t know, kind of bad for mental health?,” he tweeted. “Didn’t include the hashtag. With the company name. So these tweets don’t count?”
Im so confused. So I have to wait for a specific day, and then mention a specific company, and only then, will the company give money to mental health? Only when I mention them? But shouldn’t they just do it, since they are a billion dollar company? Oh. So they look good? Oh
— Dan O’Toole (@notontvotoole) February 6, 2021
This year’s Bell Let’s Talk Day took place on January 28, and was intended to highlight the actions Canadians can take to move mental health forward. This week’s layoffs to over 200 Bell Media employees were condemned by the largest private-sector union in Canada, Unifor.
O’Toole addressed the layoffs on Thursday, confirming that he was no longer with TSN. Fans of his popular highlights show, SportsCentre with Jay and Dan, took to Twitter themselves to share their displeasure with Bell.
“Like any business, Bell sometimes has to make difficult decisions,” Marc Choma, Bell’s Director of Communications, told Daily Hive. “That includes in media, where the reality of massive industry change means we need to make the business more efficient to invest more in content creation and technology development.”
“The positive impact of Bell Let’s Talk, and Bell’s acknowledged leadership in workplace mental health, doesn’t change based on necessary business decisions.”
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