The Ford government won’t say how many new staff — if any — are on its books to enforce a sweeping ban on ticket resales in the province, claiming it can’t comment on human resources in any capacity.
As part of its 2026 budget, the government passed a ban on tickets being sold for more than their face value in Ontario, promising hefty fines and rapid action for anyone trying to circumvent the ban.
“With these new measures, consumers would no longer need to worry about being ripped off in the ticket resale market,” Stephen Crawford, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement, promised when the law was unveiled.
Businesses face fines of between $3,000 and $250,000 if they are caught breaking the rules.
Since it came into effect, however, the results have been mixed. While Ticketmaster is offering face value resales, FIFA has simply delisted all Toronto events and resale giant Stubhub continues to sell tickets for more than their original price.
Stubhub previously told The Canadian Press that issues still linger even after the company had a “productive conversation” with Stephen Crawford, minister of public and business service delivery, recently.
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A spokesperson for the Ford government pledged action for those breaking the rules — without providing any details.
“As part of their role to protect consumers, Consumer Protection Ontario will investigate and enforce the laws in place,” they wrote in a statement. “We continue to monitor the marketplace closely and will take enforcement action to protect consumers from being gouged by resellers.”
After this story was published, the government clarified that there are 32 staff on its enforcement division for ticketing.
“There are hundreds of full-time employees in the Consumer Protection Branch who work day in and day out to hold bad actors accountable and keep consumers safe,” they wrote in a statement.
“This includes a team of 32 assigned specifically to enforcement.”
Despite the law officially coming into force last week, regulations governing it are still open to public comment until next week.
Ontario NDP MPP Tom Rakocevic said it was a symptom of a government “obsessed with secrecy.”
“One of their greatest failing has been their lack of enforcement and willingness to punish bad actors,” he wrote in a statement.
“Above all, this legislation will only work through proper enforcement to ensure that sellers act in good faith. Not doing so will reward lawbreakers and drive people into the black market, leaving them vulnerable to scams.”
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