Ontario to ban overpriced concert, sports and live event resale tickets

Exorbitant prices on resale tickets have been a huge problem in recent years, but Ontario is hoping to ban the practice.

Fans will pay more than original ticket price to see a favourite musician or cheer on their team. Taylor Swift fans paid over $1,000 for a ticket to a Toronto concert in 2024. Last year, a resale ticket for Katy Perry’s Vancouver concert was priced at $12,650.

In some cases, customers have been able to get refunds as ticket companies look into resale practices. Earlier this month, Consumer Protection BC reached a deal with StubHub Canada after a complaint and subsequent investigation into the company’s ticket sales practices.

New legislation aims to curb these high resale prices with amendments to the Ticket Sales Act, 2017, the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement said in a press release today.

The new legislative changes would make it “illegal for tickets to concerts, cultural, sports and other live events in Ontario to be re-sold for more than their original cost,” the release stated.

The province said the measures will protect fans and consumers from exploitative, professional resellers who artificially drive up ticket prices.

“We are taking action to help ensure Ontario fans have access to fair resale prices and are not exploited by price gouging when they buy resale tickets for their favourite events,” said Stephen Crawford, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement. “With these new measures, consumers would no longer need to worry about being ripped off in the ticket resale market, and more families and fans would have the opportunity to see their favourite band or sports team perform live.”

The amendments to the Ticket Sales Act, 2017, will be introduced in the coming days and would, if passed, make it illegal for tickets for live events in Ontario to be resold for more than their original cost, which is the all-in price originally paid to the primary seller, plus any fees, service charges or applicable taxes charged on the resale.

A similar ticket resale price cap, introduced in 2017 by the Liberal government, was scrapped in 2019 by the Progressive Conservatives.

“It was unenforceable,” Government and Consumer Services Minister Bill Walker said in 2019. “It was like a lot of things with the Liberals. It was a nice soundbite, but there was no enforcement.”

In a statement, StubHub said price caps have led to a surge in ticket fraud in places like Ireland and Australia. They argued that, if people are no longer able to attend an event, they should be allowed to resell tickets at a price they determine.

The government also plans to strengthen “validity guarantee requirements” to protect against the sale of fake tickets and to create new powers that could be used to stop unfair service charges and fees during the purchasing process.

The proposed resale price cap would address long-standing concerns about inflated resale ticket prices to events in Ontario, as well as other practices in the ticket resale market that negatively impact fans and consumers, the Ministry said.

“Ontario offers a wide range of live events, and by putting reasonable limits on resale ticket prices, we’re helping make them more affordable for residents and visitors,” said Stan Cho, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming.

Lead photo: Anthony DELANOIX