Quebec's Ticket Law Promises Transparency, Just Not Affordability
Quebec has unveiled a sparkling new ticket resale law that requires scalpers to be honest about how badly they are gouging you. Resellers must now disclose the original face value of the ticket beside the price they are charging, so that fans can experience, in real time, the precise moment hope leaves their bodies.
Unlike Ontario, which capped resale at fifty percent above face value, Quebec has decided that the free market is a kind of folk art best left uninterrupted. A $90 Coldplay ticket can still be resold for $1,400, provided the listing politely notes that it was once $90. This is the legislative equivalent of a waiter announcing the soup is cold before serving it anyway.
Consumer advocates argue a price cap would protect fans. The government counters that Quebecers are sophisticated adults capable of making informed decisions about whether to remortgage the chalet for Taylor Swift. Officials also note that transparency itself is a deterrent, because shame is a powerful force, assuming the reseller possesses any.
In practice, the law means a bot in a basement in Laval will now be legally obligated to tell you, with full Charter-protected honesty, that it is robbing you blind. Fans report feeling seen. Their wallets report feeling lighter. The bot, reached for comment, declined to disclose its feelings, citing the absence of any.