Ford government preparing to update ticket resale law months after passing it

The Ford government’s populist law that bans the sale of concert and sports tickets above face value is set to undergo a regulatory overhaul just months after it was first introduced, as the province discovered the policy has been nearly impossible to enforce.

Multiple industry sources told Global News that Premier Doug Ford’s office has instructed Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement Stephen Crawford to prepare regulations to fix the new anti-scalping law, with options still to be determined.

The cap on resale tickets was introduced as part of the 2026 budget, with the government promising massive fines for individuals and companies caught breaking the law.

That law, multiple industry sources suggested, was rushed through during the spring at the behest of the premier, who wanted a cap in place before Toronto hosted six matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“New legislative changes would make it illegal for tickets to concerts, cultural, sports and other live events in Ontario to be re-sold for more than their original cost,” the province promised in March.

The resale rules technically came into effect as soon as the budget received Royal Assent on April 24, but the government opted for an education-first approach, writing to secondary sellers like SeatGeek, StubHub, FIFA and VividSeat to tell them to get in line.

However, despite the letters from the government, tickets on those sites continued to be sold online well above face value. In early June, the provincial government named SeatGeek and StubHub on its Consumer Beware list as a punishment for selling tickets above face value.

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“The rules are clear and so are the consequences: The days of scalpers ripping people off in Ontario are done,” Ford wrote in a social media post on June 11, 2026.

The government, however, has not fined either company and has not been able to offer an explanation of whether it will under the existing rules.

A month after they were named on the list, the companies appear to have faced no consequences and have repeatedly claimed the rules the government has written are simply unenforceable.

“We have been seeking guidance on key details that are fundamental to compliance, such as what constitutes acceptable proof of a ticket’s original price,” StubHub wrote in a statement in June.

“We received partial answers to these questions today and are continuing to work with the Ministry toward full compliance.”

The rules, one advocate for secondary sellers said, have been a nightmare to enforce.

“It’s been messy to say the least,” Brian Berry, of the advocacy group Ticket Policy Forum, told Global News.

“The law was finalized, and enforcement has been expected of companies before the rules of how to apply were really developed. It has been messy, there’s been some frustration.”

Now, it appears the government is accepting that the law it rushed through in the spring was at least partially flawed.

Industry sources told Global News the premier’s office had instructed Crawford’s office to draft regulations to work out how to define the face value of a ticket and how secondary markets will have to verify it.

The concern from resale sites is that they currently have no way to verify the original price of tickets because they can’t access the e-tickets or metadata from primary sellers.

People looking to resell tickets could use artificial intelligence or Photoshop to edit the price of their original ticket, for example, to resell it for more with no easy way to spot the change.

“(It) is a wrinkly policy that requires some ironing out,” Berry added.

“We warned that this is exactly what would happen: that there would be frustration, that enforcement would be difficult, that compliance would be difficult. And that’s exactly what’s playing out.”

He said he was reassured that it seemed the government was moving to make changes.

“Cooler minds will prevail,” he said. “Now the ministry, it appears, does want to sit down and reopen the rule, not necessarily to do away with it.”

The Ford government offered a general statement to Global News in response to questions.

“Our government continues to take action to enforce legislation that cracks down on exploitative ticket resellers who drive up prices,” the government wrote in a statement sent to Global News.

“We expect all resellers and platforms to comply with these rules and will not hesitate to hold bad actors accountable.”