New standards for selling tickets to major events such as concerts have been introduced in the Ontario legislature, and the Alberta government is expected to follow that trend.
It’s an issue fans have encountered for some time: getting scooped when trying to buy tickets, and being forced to pay extra to buy tickets from a re-seller.
Back in 2016, Tragically Hip fans complained they couldn’t secure tickets to see Gord Downey’s final shows with the band, without buying through a re-seller – tickets that originally cost between $56 and $166 ended up going for more than $1000.
When Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood stopped in Edmonton earlier in 2017, they played a total of nine shows at Rogers Place, and said having that many shows helped beat scalpers.
“I don’t know what your rules are here, but I’m pushing for capital punishment in the States for scalpers,” Brooks said in February. “I just don’t like it, I don’t like people getting in between the artists and the people that allow them to be an artist.”
On Thursday, the Ontario government started to take measures to protect ticket buyers.
“So what we’re proposing on the ticket sales piece will indeed strengthen consumer protection,” Ontario Consumer Minister Tracy MacCharles said.
In the omnibus bill, that province is looking to ban ticket bots, software that buys tickets before fans can. The legislation won’t stop tickets from being resold, but it hopes to cap the cost at 50 percent above face value.
The legislation includes new enforcement measures and higher fines and penalties.
In Alberta, ticket sales proved to be a popular issue when the province looked for feedback from Albertans on consumer protection – officials are reviewing input gathered through an online survey and open houses held in the summer.
The province is expected to introduce changes to legislation in Alberta at some point in the fall of this year.
With files from Susan Amerongen
