Following in the footsteps of their east coast counterpart, the British Columbia government has announced they will look into reforming legislation around event ticket sales after a Pink show in Vancouver sold out in minutes and angered BC fans.
After months of promises to look into ticket laws by government officials in Ontario, sparked there by the quick sellout of The Tragically Hip’s farewell tour, AG Naqvi announced the Strengthening Protection for Ontario Consumers Act, which included an outlaw of “bots” and legal requirements for primary transparency and a secondary price cap, earlier this month.
Yesterday, local news site News 1130 reported that Canada’s opposite province is considering a similar move after complaints flooded in from fans priced out of Pink’s May 12 concert in Vancouver.
@Pink was really excited to see you in Vancouver in May! However I can't justify paying triple the price for tickets.sold out in 2 minutes. pic.twitter.com/xyAJjyWFbt
— Kristen St Denis (@kristenstdenis) October 14, 2017
Member of the Legislative Assembly Spencer Chandra Herbert noted his lack of surprise at this age-old issue.
“In some cases, it’s actually the artists themselves or their producers who are artificially limiting ticket sales, so that they can drive up the prices and then using various backdoor methods to gain some of that profit,” MLA Chandra Herbert says.
“There will be people who game the system and I think the government needs to work with the entertainment industry, with artists, with sports teams to come up with a strategy that makes sure fans get the first crack at the tickets and not at an inflated price.”
The Vancouver-West End MLA hopes to hold a series of hearings to gain input from fans, brokers and music industry insiders.
Global News says that Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth indicated intent to reform legislation, but added that the timeline might not be immediate.
“As in many public policy issues, particularly ones involving technology and the ability to relocate outside the province and outside the country, there’s a lot of legal issues,” Farnworth said. “You’ve got to try and find a way to work around and work through.”
BC ticket reform is likely to be discussed, but not until the spring sitting of the legislature.
