Industry News

New Ontario gov halt ticket price cap law

The new Ontario government has deferred the ticket price cap section of a controversial anti-touting bill, a CBC News/Toronto Star investigation has found.

The newly elected Progressive Conservative regime has confirmed it is putting a halt on a piece of the legislation, introduced by the Liberal party, that would have banned reselling tickets for more than 50 per cent their face value.

The measure was set to take effect on July 1, earlier this week.

“The previous government attempted to institute a cap on ticket resales with no way to enforce that cap, resulting in less consumer protection,” Ford spokesperson Simon Jeffries wrote in an emailed statement, CBC News reports.

“We have paused the implementation of this section until we can review this provision in full to make sure it is in the best interest of Ontarians.”

Elements of the Canadian province’s Ticket Sales Act will remain in effect, such as outlawing the use of bots to buy tickets en masse.

In December, StubHub warned of a surge in on-street touting after the Ontario government passed the new legislation that would have introduced a price cap.

After the announcement of the pause on price capping, StubHub said it is “pleased” by the move, which, according to a statement from spokesperson Cameron Papp, ensures that sales “occur on platforms that provide vital consumer protections,” CBC News reports.

Patti-Anne Tarlton, chief operating officer for TicketMaster Canada, which has been aggressively expanding into the resale market, said: “This is a very rational and prudent decision.”

The pause, Tarlton said, will make time to “evaluate the anticipated impact” of the law.

Image: John Vetterli