Quebec is tightening the rules around reselling tickets. But changes don’t address soaring prices

Fans hoping to score Montreal Canadiens playoff tickets, Grand Prix passes or seats to the Olivia Rodrigo concert at the Bell Centre shouldn’t expect a cap on soaring resale prices any time soon.

While Ontario passed a law banning above-face-value resales, Quebec’s proposed rules fall short of a price cap, leaving buyers to still face a free market.

Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette says his government’s proposed law is designed to make the ticket market more transparent and protect Quebec artists and venues. 

Quebec’s Bill 10, which is expected to pass into law next month, overhauls key sections of the province’s Consumer Protection Act.

“What we want is more transparency,” said Jolin-Barrette in an interview with CBC News. 

“If people want to buy tickets on a resale website, it’s their choice, but they will have all the information to make the best choice with the money they have.”

Right now, many people are not aware they are buying tickets from a resale platform, said Jolin-Barrette.

Under the new legislation, ticket resale platforms have to disclose — clearly and prominently — that it’s a resale platform and there may be tickets at a lower price from the official seller. 

Bill 10 would also require resale sites to reveal how much the ticket originally cost, who is reselling it and all the associated fees.

If the resale platform doesn’t physically possess the tickets, they can’t sell them. If they do, Quebec’s consumer protection agency can issue fines, said Jolin-Barrette.

No blanket ban

The legislation doesn’t include a hard cap on resale tickets, unlike neighbouring Ontario, where Premier Doug Ford is trying to crack down on resellers posting tickets for more than face value.

Jolin-Barrette said Quebec decided against an all-out ban on ticket resale platforms because it would create an illegal market.

“In the jurisdictions where they choose to go with the prohibition of resale tickets, we see that,” he said.

He thinks the new legislation will still permit a free market, but help prevent consumers from being misled or defrauded.

The province also believes the law will better protect Quebec artists and the province’s entertainment industry.

“These websites right now are really cultural parasites,” said Jolin-Barrette. “They make money on the work of the artists, on the work of the producer and they don’t put any energy into that.”

It will be up to the event producer or promoter to decide whether they want to allow resale and if those prices can exceed the official seller’s original price.

If an event is postponed or cancelled, resellers must immediately pass that information on to ticket buyers.

More legislation needed?

But some consumer advocacy groups aren’t convinced Quebec’s legislation will be able to keep up with how quickly the ticket resale market is evolving.

Option Consommateurs would like to see Quebec’s consumer protection office start an economic analysis team to keep an eye on it.

“We may need to legislate further,” said Alexandre Plourde, a lawyer and analyst at Option Consommateurs.  

“The question is how. Should we include terms in resale agreements that prohibit, for example, promoters from taking a percentage of the resale? Should we completely ban resale?”

Buying tickets — be it for your favourite artist or sports team — is often an emotional purchase, said Plourde.

For popular concerts or events, the demand is always much higher than supply.

“There’s no simple solution to this problem,” said Plourde. “There will always be people willing to pay a very high price to get tickets.”

For now, he said, the new law will help make it easier for consumers to navigate the ticket market. 

Option Consommateurs was among those behind a class-action lawsuit against the ticket reseller Billets.ca, for not making it clear the tickets were being resold, not showing the original price and not obtaining the consent of the producer to charge more than face value.  

“All this information is currently unclear on resale platforms, which is why we’re tightening things up a bit in this bill,” Plourde said.

Can Ontario’s cap be enforced?

Ontario’s new law, which went into effect last month, bans people from selling or enabling the sale of tickets for more than they were originally bought. 

Fines for violations can range from $3,000 to $250,000.

In response, FIFA removed World Cup tickets from its marketplace that were being resold for upcoming Toronto games.

Ticketmaster also rejigged its site to prevent tickets from being listed for more than face value. 

CBC News, however, recently found listings for tickets still above the original price. 

Richard Powers, an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, said the Ontario changes are well-meaning but “from a practical point of view, it’s going to be very hard to enforce.”

“It comes down to supply and demand,” he said. “As long as there’s demand, it’s going to create a market for it.”

Teams banning resale on unauthorized platforms

Professional sports teams are also trying to control the market by dictating where fans can resell their tickets.

Brandon Cameron found that out the hard way last year. The Montreal Canadiens’ sales department told Cameron a review of his account showed many of his tickets were being resold on unauthorized platforms.

In the Habs’ terms and conditions, it says season ticket holders can only resell their tickets on Ticketmaster, which is the hockey team’s official resale platform.

Cameron, who had the tickets for 20 years, said he was not aware of the new rules. 

He did resell tickets occasionally, but didn’t feel it was abusive. He often shared extra tickets with family or friends or used them in raffles.

“It would help us recoup some of our costs, which was never a problem before, right?” said Cameron. His tickets were revoked before this year’s hockey season started.

“It gutted me,” said Cameron, who lives in Ajax, Ont. “I couldn’t sleep for weeks.”

His former tickets were located in the nosebleeds and cost about $60 a ticket. 

The Canadiens offered him four tickets in a different section, but he turned them down out of principle. 

“I know why they took my tickets,” said Cameron. “They saw they were the cheapest tickets in the building and they could maximize that.” 

The Montreal Canadiens would not comment on Cameron’s specific case, but a spokesperson said any violation of the established rules and conditions may result in the revocation of the ticket holder’s purchasing privileges.

Ticketmaster, of course, stands to gain from tickets being resold on its side. On its website, the company says that resale service fees “may be shared among various parties involved in putting on the event and may cover operational costs and profits.”

In a statement, Ticketmaster Canada said it “supports the proposed legislation in Quebec, and we will continue working closely with government to ensure our platform complies with all provincial requirements.”

“It’s important to note that Ticketmaster does not set or control ticket prices — including resale prices, which are determined entirely by individual sellers, many of whom are professional ticket resellers,” a spokesperson said.