Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province is contemplating legislation to cap ticket resale prices as Toronto Blue Jays fans complain of sky-high resale prices that leave many unable to afford World Series tickets.
Ford referenced Ticketmaster during an Oct. 22 press scrum at Queen’s Park, saying that one company is “controlling everything.”
“My personal opinion... they’re gouging the people,” Ford told reporters during an Oct. 22 press scrum at Queen’s Park. “When you have one player in the market that controls the tickets, that’s not right for the people. So we’re actually right now considering legislation.”
Ford did not indicate when such legislation might be introduced and his office did not respond to a request for comment on the timing or specifics of such a bill prior to publication.
Ticketmaster said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times that it understands fans’ concerns about World Series ticket pricing, but added that it is not responsible for setting those prices, “nor is any one person or entity.”
Opposition parties at Queen’s Park said Ford’s government is partly to blame for the ticket pricing issue because it scrapped part of a Liberal law in 2019 that capped ticket resale prices at 50 percent above their original value. The PCs at the time called the law “unenforceable.”
The former Liberal government enacted the legislation in 2017 to combat “scalper bots” that acquire large quantities of tickets. The move came in response to a public outcry from fans who were excluded from the Tragically Hip’s 2016 farewell tour.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles said the Ford government needs to bring that legislation back, noting that her party called for the province to take action on the issue last year when Taylor Swift concert tickets were being resold for more than $4,000 a piece on sites like StubHub.
“We need the government to take action,” she told reporters outside Queen’s Park.
Ticket Scams
The Toronto Police Service is cautioning Blue Jays fans to be careful when purchasing World Series tickets as scammers seek to capitalize on the heightened interest.“Fraudsters may pose as legitimate ticket sellers on social media, classified websites, or fake ticketing platforms, offering tickets that are counterfeit, duplicated, or simply non-existent. Once payment is made, the seller often disappears, leaving fans without tickets and out of money.”
Common types of ticket scams to watch out for include counterfeit websites that seem to be authentic resale platforms or affiliated team partners, social media advertisements or posts promoting last-minute or below-market offers, and fraudulent electronic tickets dispatched post-payment that are either invalid or have already been used, police said.
Scammers may also impersonate legitimate sellers on resale sites or in text/email conversations and could request payment via e-transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift cards, which makes funds difficult to trace.
Police said consumers should look for common red flags such as prices that seem too good to be true, and unverified links shared over social media or email, to avoid being scammed.
Other deceptive practices include sellers exerting pressure to buy quickly because they have “only a few tickets left” and requests for payment outside secure platforms. Police suggest paying for tickets with a credit card, saying it offers more protection and allows customers to dispute fraudulent charges.
It’s also best to avoid sites like Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace and instead buy tickets from the Blue Jays’ official website or authorized ticket partners such as MLB.com or Ticketmaster, police said.
Buyers can also help prevent other consumers from being scammed by avoiding sharing their own ticket images online. Police said fraudsters can use such images to replicate and sell as real tickets.
