What to know
- Doug Ford says the province will make it illegal for ticket resellers to charge more than the original price, including fees and taxes.
- The government will amend the Ticket Sales Act to crack down on price gouging, ensure ticket validity, and limit unfair service charges.
- The move has sparked mixed reactions online, with some praising the crackdown and others criticizing timing and past policy reversals.
Premier Doug Ford is promising to crack down on Ontario ticket resellers by making it illegal for them to make a profit.
On Friday, the premier shared a social media post saying he is looking to go after the province’s “ticket scalpers.”
“We’re putting ticket scalpers on notice: Your days of ripping people off are done,” Ford said on X (formerly Twitter).
His comments come as the government announced it was looking to amend its Tickets Sales Act of 2017 to make it illegal to re-sell tickets to live events for more than their original price, which includes the original fees, service charges and taxes.
Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement Stephen Crawford says the measure aims to protect consumers from “being ripped-off” by re-sellers while trying to attend live events, including sports, concerts, cultural events, and more.
“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,” Crawford said in a statement.
On top of the amendments, the province plans to change the Ticket Sales Act’s validity requirements to ensure the re-sold tickets are valid, and add new measures to also prevent unfair service charges.
According to the province, the measures will be introduced “in the coming days,” while more information about new investments and changes by the government will be highlighted in its 2026 Budget, which will be released on March 26.
This is not the first time the premier spoke about cracking down on ticket resellers.
Last year, tickets for the World Series games in Toronto skyrocketed after they were sold out within minutes and put on Ticketmaster by resellers.
At the time, Ford said he was considering further capping ticket sale prices so that fans could access events without facing exorbitant costs.
“I just don’t believe in one company controlling everything, and that’s what’s happening right now with Ticketmaster in my opinion,” he told reporters at the time.
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However, the new move also comes after Ford scrapped a plan to cap ticket sales at 50 per cent of their original price in 2019, as the province said it would not be possible to enforce the measure.
Announcement sparks mixed reaction
Online, some people are applauding the upcoming move, with many saying they wish it had happened sooner.
“Finally, but you also have to go after the online resale market on Ticketmaster, StubHub, Gametime etc.,” one person said.
“Way to go Doug!! Finally!” another person added.
“About time someone in power’s tackling this issue,” a different person wrote.
Other people say that while they support the move, they think the province should be focused on other things.
“Another distraction from Doug Ford as Ontario institutions, services and the economy continue to deteriorate,” a user suggested.
“While I applaud addressing this issue… it’s not in your lane… focus on fixing education and healthcare,” another person said.
In addition, some are recalling that Ford scrapped the plan to cap prices years back:
“This is a ‘you’ problem. You created it. You only create problems for Ontario. Your days are best numbered,” one user said.
