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EDMONTON — Ren Alva is no stranger to leaving a good tip.
The Edmonton university student believes in tipping service workers for a job well done, even leaving more during the holidays and after special events.
But the 22-year-old from Bahrain was taken aback during a recent visit to a U-pick berry farm, where he and his friends were asked to leave a tip at checkout.
“We did the picking ourselves,” said Alva. “They didn’t have to do anything.
“I don’t know who the money’s going to.”
In a similar fashion, Jacob Burris said he only tips at dine-in restaurants in and around his home in Saint John, N.B., and bases the amount he leaves on the quality of the service.
“Tips should not be given for someone simply doing their job,” the 24-year-old said.
As Canada’s cost of living soars — and restaurant gratuities see a similar increase — Alva and Burris are just two of several Canadian youth who say they’re nearing their tipping point with tipping.
A recent survey from tax preparation company H&R Block Canada suggests most Canadians, especially those 18 to 34, feel tipping culture is out of hand and most gratuity options are too high.
The online survey of 1,790 respondents was conducted nationwide Feb. 12-13. Online polls do not include a margin of error because they are not considered random samples.
Respondents also reported seeing tip options in more places than before. Those who spoke to The Canadian Press said they’ve seen prompts everywhere from student-oriented bodegas to physiotherapy clinics.
Constant tipping prompts usually don’t stop people from leaving a gratuity, said Yannick Lemay, a tax expert with H&R Block.
“That was interesting to me,” he said. “Even though they might not feel comfortable doing so, they still do it because they might feel obligated to.”
Aditi Roy, a student at Toronto Metropolitan University who grew up in China and Hong Kong, is a frequent tipper and said those who don’t pony up risk a guilty conscience.
“It’s ridiculous to have to tip up to 20 per cent,” Roy said. “(But) if I opt out, I feel terrible for it.”
Throughout Asia, tipping culture is essentially non-existent, Roy said. Instead, customers pay a small service fee that goes to workers.
“(Canada) needs to wind off the tipping culture,” she said.
While some feel it’s time to ditch the tip, there are those who say otherwise.
Milly Squires, a recent university graduate, spent six years as a waitress. She said she always tips — sometimes as much as 25 per cent — but not out of guilt. It’s because some restaurants follow a tip pooling system.
“Servers tip a percentage of their sales out to other people that work in the restaurant,” such as hosts, kitchen staff, bussers and bartenders, Squires said,
“That means that if you, as a server, have a table with a $100 bill and they don’t tip you, you pay $5 of your own money out to the tip-out.”
Large chains like McDonald’s say tips are not accepted because its restaurants are a “team environment” and it’s “not about rewarding individuals.”
Burris suggests Canada adopt a European tipping system, which operates similar to the service fee model in China and Hong Kong.
Roy said Canada could replace tipping with service fees but believes a proper solution means tackling the root of the problem.
“Pay these people what they deserve, so they don’t have to scour for tips,” she said. “Wages aren’t going any higher, but the price of living is.
“It makes it this really bad economic mess.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2025.
Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press
