Some Canadians say they are fed up with tipping partly because they think it has become common in places it didn’t exist before.
Some say prompts for bigger tips have been the norm since the pandemic when many were supporting local businesses.
“Mental yardsticks for tipping have moved somewhat and expectations have changed, putting more pressure on consumers to pay more tips,” Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said in an email to CTVNews.ca. Charlebois will release a report on tipping practices and the related consumer behaviour in the spring. “This practice can make tipping feel more compulsory and may lead to higher overall costs for consumers.”
Dariya Baiguzhiyeva, spokesperson for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, says the reasons can vary for why a business owner’s point of sale machine may propose higher rates.
“However, it’s crucial to understand that bars and restaurants have been facing mounting pressures in the last four years, including lockdowns, labour shortages, lower consumer demand, and higher taxes, minimum wages, and interest rates,” Baiguzhiyeva said in an email to CTVNews.ca.
CTVNews.ca asked Canadians their opinions about what many believe is the rise of “tip-flation” and “tip creep.”
CTVNews.ca has not independently verified all the emailed responses.
One of the major themes of the responses was criticism over what they’re being asked to tip for. Here’s what Canadians had to say about where they were asked to leave a tip and what they thought about it.
Places prompting tips
Bruce Thornhill of Rocky Mountain House, Alta., says tipping culture has gotten out of hand.
“In only a few years, it has spread from dine-in restaurants and hair salons to practically everywhere with a payment machine,” he said in an email to CTVNews.ca. “I recently experienced it from a professional paramedical provider (registered massage therapist) who bills at $90/hour.”
Bev Burgess of Medicine Hat, Alta., agrees, noting it should be at the discretion of the customer.
As an example, she says she was the last one to receive her meal at a restaurant when 14 of her family members were nearly done eating.
“When my bill was brought to me I was automatically charged 14 (per cent) extra for a tip,” Burgess said in an email to CTVNews.ca. “I did not feel a tip was deserved because of the poor service but was told it was automatic.”
Christine Sorensen, vice-president of a market research company in Toronto, says she was surprised when the payment machine prompted her for a tip when she paid to have a copy of her condo key fob made.
“Because they (took) payment before actually making the fob, I felt compelled to tip as I was worried they would purposely mess it up if I didn’t,” Sorensen said in an email to CTVNews.ca.
Jim Davis from Banff, Alta., said the first time he noticed “tip creep” was a few years ago at a local florist.
“I had ordered a bouquet for my wife’s birthday and while the florist was making the arrangement I went across the street to (a) hardware store to purchase some paint,” Davis said in an email to CTVNews.ca. “Returning to the florist to pay for the flowers I was surprised to see a tip prompt (15-20-25 I think). The service I received at the hardware store in the preparation of my paint order was at least equivalent to what I received at the florist so I felt it was inappropriate for the florist to suggest a tip.”
Davis said he was also surprised when the payment machine prompted him to add a tip for the coffee he poured himself in the cafeteria of a ski resort.
“I did not tip – it would have been more appropriate to tip the liftie who actually performs a service in helping skiers get on and off the chairlift safely,” Davis said. “I do find it odd that coffee shops and other fast food establishments prompt for a tip before any actual service is delivered.”
Maria Elizabeth Pereira, a retiree from Vancouver, says she had a clothing item altered and was surprised to see a 15 per cent tip prompt on the credit card machine. “I did not tip,” Pereira said in an email to CTVNews.ca. “What they were charging me for the alteration was more than enough.”
Drawing the line on tipping
Richard Chin, an extra in the TV and film industry in Vancouver, says he had a recent experience with “tipping fatigue” at a local independent beer and wine store.
“After selecting a couple of craft beers for purchase, I took them to the cashier, where the credit card machine tip options started at 15 per cent (and went up from there),” he wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca. “Of course, I selected the option for no tip, as none was justified. The cashier seemed indifferent, and offered no positive customer service to promote a tip.”
Chin says he would never skip the tip for dine-in “unless the service was absolutely atrocious.” For takeaway orders, he usually doesn’t tip and delivery service will get around 15 per cent.
“In the end, it’s about how much ‘service’ I received from the individual,” he said.
Doug Hendry of Simcoe County, Ont., near Toronto, says tipping in fast-food restaurants should stop.
“Overall, a tipping income should not be a consideration by restaurant owners when hiring potential employees,” Hendry said in an email to CTVNews.ca. “They should be paid a scale based on the server’s ability to satisfy customer expectations. Any tips received above that are in consideration of exemplary service.”
Karen Hermeston of Calgary says she draws the line on tipping if the business offers no greeting or help to customers.
As an example, she says she visited a liquor store in Victoria, B.C., last year with her sister.
Hermeston recounted choosing a few pre-made cocktails at the cooler and waited for the sales associate. “Much to my surprise, the debit machine asked for a tip!” Hermeston said in an email to CTVNews.ca. “There was no way I was going to leave a tip for anyone who is only ringing up a purchase.”
Sorensen says she doesn’t agree that people should tip registered massage therapists whose hourly rates are high. “It’s professional training and a licensed profession. They should be making enough not to have to rely on tips for their income.”
Paul Groulx of Brantford, Ont., says he wouldn’t tip in certain cases. He recalls one example when he bought two diet colas at a cashless arena during a Junior A hockey game.
“The attendant at the counter took the two drinks from a refrigerator a few feet away (and) placed them on the counter and the device had tip options starting at 18 (per cent),” Groulx said in an email to CTVNews.ca. “Call me old fashioned but I bypassed the tip. $8.00 is enough for two drinks that I can pay $3.99 for a six pack at the grocery store.”
Thornhill says he will no longer tip for standing in line for service or at drive-thrus. “There needs to be a significant personal interaction that forms part of the overall purchase experience.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — An Alaska man accused of sending graphic threats to injure and kill six Supreme Court justices and some of their family members has been indicted on federal charges, authorities said Thursday.
Panos Anastasiou, 76, is accused of sending more than 465 messages through a public court website, including graphic threats of assassination and torture coupled with racist and homophobic rhetoric.
The indictment does not specify which justices Anastasiou targeted, but Attorney General Merrick Garland said he made the graphic threats as retaliation for decisions he disagreed with.
“Our democracy depends on the ability of public officials to do their jobs without fearing for their lives or the safety of their families,” he said.
Anastasiou has been indicted on 22 counts, including nine counts of making threats against a federal judge and 13 counts of making threats in interstate commerce.
He was released from detention late Thursday by a federal magistrate in Anchorage with a a list of conditions, including that he not directly or indirectly contact any of the six Supreme Court justices he allegedly threatened or any of their family members.
During the hearing that lasted more than hour, Magistrate Kyle Reardon noted some of the messages Anastasiou allegedly sent between March 2023 and mid-July 2024, including calling for the assassination of two of the Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices so the current Democratic president could appoint their successors.
Instead of toning down his rhetoric after receiving a visit from FBI agents last year, Anastasiou increased the frequency of his messages and their vitriolic language, Reardon said.
Gray-haired and shackled at the ankles above his salmon-colored plastic slippers, Anastasiou wore a yellow prison outfit with ACC printed in black on the back, the initials for the Anchorage Correctional Facility, at the hearing. Born in Greece, he moved to Anchorage 67 years ago. Reardon allowed him to contact his elected officials on other matters like global warming, but said the messages must be reviewed by his lawyers.
Defense attorney Jane Imholte noted Anastasiou is a Vietnam veteran who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer and has no financial means other than his Social Security benefits.
She told the judge that Anastaiou, who signed his own name to the emails, worried about his pets while being detained. She said he only wanted to return home to care for his dogs, Freddie, Buddy and Cutie Pie.
He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for each count of making threats against a federal judge and up to five years for each count of making threats in interstate commerce if convicted.
Threats targeting federal judges overall have more than doubled in recent years amid a surge of similar violent messages directed at public officials around the country, the U.S. Marshals Service previously said.
In 2022, shortly after the leak of a draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, a man was stopped near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh with weapons and zip ties.
ROME (AP) — Canadian and Italian dignitaries on Thursday marked the successful recovery of a photo portrait of Winston Churchill known as “The Roaring Lion,” stolen in Canada and recovered in Italy after a two-year search by police.
At a ceremony at the Canadian Embassy in Rome, Italian carabinieri police handed over the portrait to the Canadian ambassador to Italy, Elissa Goldberg, who praised the cooperation between Italian and Canadian investigators that led to the recovery.
The 1941 portrait of the British leader taken by Ottawa photographer Yousuf Karsh is now ready for the last step of its journey home to the Fairmont Château Laurier, the hotel in Ottawa where it was stolen and will once again be displayed as a notable historic portrait.
Canadian police said the portrait was stolen from the hotel sometime between Christmas 2021 and Jan. 6, 2022, and replaced with a forgery. The swap was only uncovered months later, in August, when a hotel worker noticed the frame was not hung properly and looked different than the others.
Nicola Cassinelli, a lawyer in Genoa, Italy, purchased the portrait in May 2022 at an online Sotheby’s auction for 5,292 British pounds. He says he got a phone call from the auction house that October advising him not to sell or otherwise transfer the portrait due to an investigation into the Ottawa theft.
Cassinelli, who attended Thursday’s ceremony, said he thought he was buying a regular print and quickly agreed to send the iconic Churchill photograph home when he learned its true story.
“I immediately decided to return it to the Chateau Laurier, because I think that if Karsh donated it to the hotel, it means he really wanted it to stay there, for the particular significance this hotel had for him, and for his wife too,” Cassinelli told The Associated Press.
The famous image was taken by Karsh during Churchill’s wartime visit to the Canadian Parliament in December 1941. It helped launch Karsh’s career, who photographed some of the 20th century’s most famed icons, including Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein and Queen Elizabeth.
Karsh and his wife Estrellita gifted an original signed print to the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in 1998. The couple had lived and operated a studio inside the hotel for nearly two decades.
Geneviève Dumas, general manager of the Fairmont Château Laurier, said on Thursday she felt immensely grateful.
“I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to everybody involved in solving this case, and ensuring the safe return of this priceless piece of history.”
Police arrested a 43-year-old man from Powassan, Ontario, in April and have charged him with stealing and trafficking the portrait. The man, whose name is protected by a publication ban, faces charges that include forgery, theft over $5,000 and trafficking in property obtained by crime exceeding $5,000.
CULIACAN, Mexico (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed the United States in part on Thursday for the surge in cartel violence terrorizing the northern state of Sinaloa which has left at least 30 people dead in the past week.
Two warring factions of the Sinaloa cartel have clashed in the state capital of Culiacan in what appears to be a fight for power since two of its leaders were arrested in the United States in late July. Teams of gunmen have shot at each other and the security forces.
Meanwhile, dead bodies continued to pop up around the city. On one busy street corner, cars drove by pools of the blood leading to a body in a car mechanic shop, while heavily armed police in black masks loaded up another body stretched out on a side street of the Sinaloan city.
Asked at his morning briefing if the U.S. government was “jointly responsible” for this violence in Sinaloa, the president said, “Yes, of course … for having carried out this operation.”
The recent surge in cartel warfare had been expected after Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, landed near El Paso, Texas on July 25 in a small plane with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Zambada was the cartel’s elder figure and reclusive leader. After his arrest, he said in a letter circulated by his lawyer that he had been abducted by the younger Guzmán and taken to the U.S. against his will.
On Thursday afternoon, another military operation covered the north of Culiacan with military and circling helicopters.
Traffic was heavy in Culiacan and most schools were open, even though parents were still not sending their children to classes. Businesses continue to close early and few people venture out after dark. While the city has slowly reopened and soldiers patrol the streets, many families continue to hide away, with parents and teachers fearing they’ll be caught in the crossfire.
“Where is the security for our children, for ourselves too, for all citizens? It’s so dangerous here, you don’t want to go outside,” one Culiacan mother told the Associated Press.
The mother, who didn’t want to share her name out of fear of the cartels, said that while some schools have recently reopened, she hasn’t allowed her daughter to go for two weeks. She said she was scared to do so after armed men stopped a taxi they were traveling in on their way home, terrifying her child.
During his morning press briefing, López Obrador had claimed American authorities “carried out that operation” to capture Zambada and that “it was totally illegal, and agents from the Department of Justice were waiting for Mr. Mayo.”
“If we are now facing instability and clashes in Sinaloa, it is because they (the American government) made that decision,” he said.
He added that there “cannot be a cooperative relationship if they take unilateral decisions” like this. Mexican prosecutors have said they were considering bringing treason charges against those involved in the plan to nab Zambada.
He was echoed by President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who said later in the day that “we can never accept that there is no communication or collaboration.”
It’s the latest escalation of tensions in the U.S.-Mexico relationship. Last month, the Mexican president said he was putting relations with the U.S. and Canadian embassies “on pause” after ambassadors criticized his controversial plan to overhaul Mexico’s judiciary by requiring all judges to stand for election.
Still, the Zambada capture has fueled criticisms of López Obrador, who has throughout his administration refused to confront cartels in a strategy he refers to as “hugs not bullets.” On previous occasions, he falsely stated that cartels respect Mexican citizens and largely fight amongst themselves.
While the president, who is set to leave office at the end of the month, has promised his plan would reduce cartel violence, such clashes continue to plague Mexico. Cartels employ an increasing array of tactics, including roadside bombs or IEDs, trenches, home-made armored vehicles and bomb-dropping drones.
