There's a new push gaining traction to end tipping culture for good in Toronto

A petition that's been making waves in Toronto and across Canada is on a mission to dissolve the city's contentious tipping culture — and it might actually succeed.

Virtually everyone in Toronto has qualms about so-called "tipping culture," from the workers it supposedly benefits to the customers who are growing increasingly tired of shelling out an extra 18, 20, or 22 per cent on top of already lofty dinner bills.

For customers, it's a valid frustration; money is tighter than ever for many of the city's residents these days, and a nice night out can quickly mean you'll be eating canned tuna for the rest of the week if you're not careful. 

Though tipping amounts in Ontario seem to be on the decline, diners still ultimately tip relatively generously because, well, it's what you do. But one Change.org petition making the rounds is arguing that, "Nobody should feel obligated to supplement someone's wages simply because a payment terminal asks them to."

At the crux of the petition's argument is that employers, not customers, should be expected to pay their staff a living wage. While in Ontario and B.C., lower minimum wages for tipped workers have been banned, provinces like Quebec still offer a minimum wage that's $3.30 per hour lower for tipped employees than the regular minimum wage.

The petition also demands transparency from restaurants and businesses about how they pay staff, including how gratuities are divided among staff, so customers can make informed choices before tipping.

It's a tall order, but the petition lays out a series of steps the Canadian government, Canadian businesses and tech companies can take to begin unspooling the tightly wound tipping culture in the country.

The first step, they argue, is to ensure that the fair payment of employees is the business's responsibility, rather than forcing staff to rely on customer tips to make a living wage, by eliminating lower minimum wages in the rest of Canada and encouraging pay transparency in the industry.

Second, the petition argues that payment technologies themselves need a makeover. In many cases, like at cafes, pay terminals often encourage customers to tip before the service is even performed, offering pre-decided tip intervals and making the option to skip a tip decidedly unclear. If tipping culture is to be reformed, the petition argues, so too should tipping technologies.

Lastly, the petition states that we, as a country, must work together to end the stigma around tipping — or not tipping.

"We tip because it's expected, because someone is watching, or because declining feels rude. But not tipping doesn't mean someone is cheap, disrespectful, or unappreciative. Tipping is supposed to be optional. We need to start treating it that way," the petition reads.

It seems many people across the country are on board, too. Although the petition was first launched in 2024, it is seeing a renewed wave of support, garnering nearly 11,000 signatures.

Canada wouldn't be alone should we decide to do away with tipping culture. In many European countries, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, tipping isn't generally enforced or encouraged, but it'll be a long road getting there, even if the waves the petition is making online translate into real legislative changes.