Ticketmaster Canada is putting ticket scalpers on notice in Ontario.
The ticketing giant has sent emails to Ontarians with tickets listed for resale on Ticketmaster's secondary marketplace, noting that their listings would be removed in light of the new provincial legal requirements. This decision would comply with Doug Ford's provincial government’s recent declaration of intent to cap resale ticket prices that exceed face value.
"Effective April 23, 2026, tickets in Ontario cannot be resold above the total original cost, including service fees and taxes,” the email reads.
"Beginning next week, you will be able to relist your tickets in compliance with Ontario's new legal requirements once updates have been made to our resale marketplace."
“With the legislation coming into force shortly, we have begun contacting all fans with tickets listed on our resale platform to let them know we have delisted their tickets from our marketplace,” a Ticketmaster Canada spokesperson said.
It’s a part of the newly passed budget bill, Bill 97, but it has yet to receive royal assent. The new legislation will require secondary sellers to provide proof of original price when listing a ticket for sale, and mandate disclosure of original and resale prices to buyers, with secondary market platforms to retain records for a minimum of three years after the event.
When passed, it will amend 2017’s Ticket Sales Act, which banned the use of online bots and capped ticket resale prices at 50% above the original price. Initially implemented by the Liberal government, Ford reversed the decision in 2019.
The then-government and consumer services minister, Bill Walker, claimed the limit was “unenforceable” as sellers weren’t required to disclose the ticket’s original price. It seems the state of ticket resellers in Canada dawned on Ford during last year's MLB World Series games in Toronto, when tickets were being resold for as high as $10,000, with the Premier claiming they were "gouging" buyers.
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Now, nearly a decade later, he has changed his mind on the law he scrapped, claiming that ticket scalpers' "days of ripping people off are done," last month.
Following the Ford government’s announcement, Live Nation, which is merged with Ticketmaster, posted a statement to social media, supporting the decision. "We are in favour of measures that promote fair, transparent ticketing and curb exploitative resale practices,” the company wrote.
While it’s a step in the right direction, it’s unclear how Ticketmaster's policies will be integrated into the new Ontario legislation, and whether the ticketing company will recoup the service fees and taxes or the reseller.
Still, resellers and outrageous mark-ups are very prominent on the platform.
This week, Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff called out Ticketmaster after the company notified users that it was cancelling many Harry Styles concert tickets in New York after finding out they were being resold for a higher value. “You caught you?” Antonoff said.
After Olivia Dean claimed the ticket giant was a “disgusting service,” it capped resale prices for the Grammy winner’s global trek. Ariana Grande chimed in last year, too, saying it wasn’t “right” for ticket resellers to be upcharging for her Eternal Sunshine tour — her first in seven years.
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Still, there has been some criticism of the price cap in Ontario, with consumer advocacy group Sports Fan Coalition releasing a statement urging Ford and the provincial government to reimpose the decision.
“As the Premier pushes this legislation through without any public conversation, we are making sure that fan voices are heard loud and clear, imploring Premier Ford: don't fumble our tickets by passing price caps," says Brian Hess, executive director of the Sports Fans Coalition. While it sounds outlandish, could selling tickets at face value harm consumers? Time to tell as the legislation fully rolls out.
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As it stands, Ticketmaster is under a lot of pressure, with a New York federal jury finding Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, guilty of engaging in monopolistic practices in the live event industry. The decision could force Live Nation to divest from Ticketmaster, though that will depend on the judge's decision.
While the trial applies specifically to the United States, it’s bound to have effects on the Canadian live music scene.
