As NBA Finals tickets surpass $60K, Ontario consumer services minister rejects implementing price caps

The high price of NBA Finals ticket prices were the subject of debate at Queen’s Park Wednesday.

Premier Doug Ford’s government decided to scrap a section of the Ticket Sales Act in April, which capped resale prices at 50 per cent of original face value.

At the time, Consumer Services Minister Bill Walker said price caps were “unenforceable.”

However, in an interview with Global News on Wednesday, he doubled down on the position — even when asked about Toronto Raptors tickets that surpassed $60,000.

“It’s the real world,” said Walker, insisting sports tickets will not be treated differently by the province than other goods.

“This is the reality of free-market enterprise. You have a commodity of something you want, something you’re willing to put a dollar value on.”

NDP Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath said the government is turning its back on low- and middle-income sports fans.

“I believe we should have a system where every day families should be able to attend sports games, and they’re not cut out of the opportunity because only those with the deepest pockets or those who are friends with the premier are able to attend,” she said.

When asked about Horwath’s criticism and young sports fans whose families may not be able to afford tickets, Walker said, “Well that same child probably wants to be a hockey player or a basketball player too but they’re not all going to get there.

“So at the end of the day, it’s a want,” he said.

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Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner said he believes limits should be enforced on resellers.

“When we have situation where people are increasing insane profits around exploiting people’s desire to be part of a Canadian experience, like we’re all going to experience tomorrow night, that’s wrong,” he said.

Under former premier Kathleen Wynne, the previous Liberal government took steps to implement caps. But at the time it received criticism from sales sites like StubHub that warned sales would be driven underground. The ticket resale site also raised concerns about consumer security potentially being compromised when buyers turned to the black market.

READ MORE: Kitchener woman duped out of $700 in Raptors online ticket scam, police say

Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser responded to those concerns.

“We put forward past legislation that put reasonable prices on tickets and how much money people could up-charge, which I think is a fair and responsible thing to do,” he said, suggesting the Progressive Conservative government is breaking a campaign promise.

“If the premier is for the people, why doesn’t he want to give them a fair shot at going to the game?”