THUNDER BAY – The Ford government wants to end ticket gouging for events by making it illegal to resell a ticket above the original price.
“We’re putting ticket scalpers on notice: Your days of ripping people off are done,” Premier Doug Ford said in a post on X Friday.
The province has announced a plan to cap ticket prices at the original cost, making it illegal for tickets to concerts, cultural, sports, and other live events in Ontario to be resold for more than the original price.
“Overall, I’m generally supportive of the province’s plan to cap ticket resale prices. From my perspective, anything that improves fairness and accessibility for fans is a positive step. Measures like this can help reduce frustration around inflated resale prices and create a more equitable experience for people trying to attend events,” Andrew Edwards, the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium’s acting general manager, told Newswatch in an email.
Proposed changes to the Tickets Sales Act of 2017 will place an all-in price the consumer originally paid to the primary seller, plus any fees, service charges or applicable taxes charged on the resale.
In addition to the changes, the government plans to implement requirements to protect consumers against the sale of counterfeit tickets and to prevent unfair service fees during the purchasing process.
The proposed resale price cap addresses a long-standing frustration about inflated resale ticket prices to events in Ontario.
Edwards said the impact the legislation would have on the auditorium ticket sales will be minimal, but it will help build a “public trust in the ticketing ecosystem as a whole” by offering “greater transparency and limits on extreme markups.”
“Only a small number of Auditorium events ever reach full capacity. Marquee shows such as Bryan Adams or Jimmy Carr are the exception, not the norm. These are world class entertainers that were expected to sell out, and as expected, demand exceeded ticket supply,” Edwards said.
“It’s also important to note that these particular events are presented by third‑party promoters, not the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium. Their ticket pricing and sales strategies are set entirely by those promoters and are outside of the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium’s control. So, while the intent of the legislation may be to reduce extreme price markups on sold out events by bad actors, most Auditorium events have ample availability and affordable pricing options.”
The ministry says it will consult on adding penalties for those caught breaking the rules. Under the current legislation, ticket businesses can be fined up to $10,000.
“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. 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,” Stephen Crawford, minister of public and business service delivery and procurement, said in a statement.
By Clint Fleury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Mar 20, 2026 at 15:00
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