Maritimers hope to adopt Ontario proposal to ban resale tickets for more than face value

Could Nova Scotia make changes to prevent tickets from being resold over their original price?

As the Ontario government seeks to pass a law that would make it illegal to re-sell concert and other live event tickets for more than their original price, some Maritimers who’ve been burned once or twice by the secondary market say it’s something they’d like to see at home.

“I think it’s a good idea. I’ve had the experience a number of times of trying to get tickets, and the only tickets available are hyped up prices. I think we should have something like that for Nova Scotia,” says Halifax resident Faye Woodman.

Andrea Monjo says adopting the proposal could make obtaining tickets more accessible.

“If the tickets sell out through Ticketmaster, you don’t have very many options, and tickets are usually way higher and more expensive when they’re being resold,” she says.

“Hopefully we can make this happen in Nova Scotia. I would love to see it here.”

Sue McKeage with Service Nova Scotia says the province has no current plans to address ticket prices caps.

“We will be interested to see how Ontario proceeds with its new proposed law. We are always paying attention to what other provinces are doing in the realm of consumer rights,” McKeage told CTV News Atlantic in an email Tuesday.

But some experts aren’t completely sold on the move.

Mosche Lander, professor with Concordia University’s department of economics, calls the proposal a “terrible idea”

“The only reason the secondary market for tickets exists is because the promoter of the event has mispriced the tickets to begin with,” says Lander.

He argues the proposal could mean true fans may lose out in the end.

“When you try and cap the price of something, then the only people that benefit are the ones who managed to get their hands on the product at that lower price. The problem is that we can’t be assured that the people who get their hands on the product are the ones who actually value the product the most,” he says.

Live Nation Entertainment, which owns Ticketmaster, said it supports the changes, but ticket resale website SeatGeek warned the move could make tickets more expensive.

Lander believes the market should stay as is.

“Anytime you make something illegal, you’re foolish to think that the transaction stops. The transaction will continue. It’ll just continue outside of watching eyes. That makes it much more dangerous. And so consumers then have no protection because they can’t go to law enforcement if they’re sold something that’s fraudulent,” he says.