TORONTO – Heather Gardiner couldn’t give her seats away.

The Blue Jays owned a record under .500 back in the spring, and looked poised for another middling campaign with little playoff hope.

Things then drastically turned around on the field. Toronto now sits first in the American League East.

And tickets are a hot commodity — often at a hefty price.

Getting into Rogers Centre to see Canada’s only Major League Baseball team has quickly morphed into a costly endeavour this summer that has surprised some fans.

A recent sold-out series against the New York Yankees saw the cheapest seats on resale sites going for more than $200 apiece, while a ticket in the 500 level for Friday’s series-opener with the Kansas City Royals was in the neighbourhood of $80 as of Wednesday afternoon — more than double face value.

Gardiner and her family have two season tickets near the visitors dugout. The tech consultant, who’s had seats since Toronto’s 2015 playoff run, sold most of her extras at cost to friends last season.

After the Jays’ underwhelming start to 2025, interest dropped to near zero.

“We were posting on social media three days before a game saying, ‘We can’t make it and if you want the tickets let me know and they’re yours,’” Gardiner said. “They were free and people weren’t taking them.”

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Toronto’s surge up the standings signalled a drastic shift across the ticket market.

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Fans can make purchases directly from the team through Ticketmaster, while the website also has verified resale options — usually at an inflated price — similar to other big-hitters like SeatGeek and StubHub when supply is scarce.

Jagger Long, who runs Toronto-based resale website Karma Tickets, said a number of factors, including summer holidays, tourism and a winning team are contributing to the spikes.

“We’re riding the hype of the Jays,” he said. “People are spending the money. If they weren’t, the prices would come down.”

A multi-million dollar renovation of Rogers Centre that improved sightlines, added more bars, communal areas and other amenities has also raised the stakes, Long said.

“They’ve done a great job of turning it into more of a social event,” he said.

That mainly happens in the common areas where general admission tickets — standing room, without a seat — can be purchased for a face value of roughly $20.

But those tickets — along with blocks of seats in the 500s — are often snapped up by scalpers or fellow fans looking to make a quick buck, Long said. General admission seats for Toronto’s opener against Kansas City were priced around $50 and up for resale Wednesday.

“People are watching the market,” said Long, who added website algorithms can boost prices automatically when tickets are at a premium. “Even average fans, professional ticket sellers, part-time ticket sellers, they watch. They treat it like a part-time job or a full-time job.”

The Jays said in a statement the club encourages fans to plan ahead and purchase tickets well in advance of games. The team noted there are plenty of seats available for series later in August and September.

Long agreed getting tickets early is the best practice, but added scanning resale options for popular games can still garner good results.

“Jot down the price and then go back in a few days,” he said. “If the prices haven’t really moved, that’s an indicator … you eventually might find a hidden gem.”

The face value of Gardiner’s tickets sit at just over $100 each per game. She hasn’t looked to make a profit in the past, but sold for as much as $350 apiece for the Yankees series, and got $450 this weekend.

Prices for season-ticket holders jumped significantly following the Rogers Centre renovations. Gardiner said she knows a number of fellow fans — including some with tickets since Day 1 back in 1977 at Exhibition Stadium — who have gone that route to maintain their small pieces of baseball real estate.

The financial calculus of attending Jays games aside, Gardiner said the energy at the ballpark is comparable to when she first bought in a decade ago.

“It’s like being there in 2015,” she said. “There was something different, and that’s what it’s feeling like in that building.

“Everyone keeps saying it’s like a playoff game. It is electric.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025.

&copy 2025 The Canadian Press

The Niagara SPCA and Humane Society says over the span of four days, it has received 76 cats that were either surrendered or found abandoned.

Amelia Canto, CEO of the Niagara SPCA and Humane Society, told Global News on Wednesday they are continuing to have even more cats come in.

“This is usually a busy time with the season,” Canto said.

“It’s basically kitten season right now, so the fact that 76 arrived at one time was very overwhelming for us. They are fortunately in good health.”

It all started when 10 kittens were found huddled inside a box and left in a public park, the SPCA said on its website, while nine more cats arrived after a person was evicted and their cats were left with nowhere to go.

Over those four days, other cats — some of them pregnant — came in, while others came in still nursing their litter of kittens.

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But the society says the final blow was 14 female cats found inside a wire dog crate, abandoned in another park with nothing but a handwritten note saying: “Please find these cats a home. I am unable to care for them! I’m sorry.”

The massive increase in felines now brings the total number of cats and kittens being cared for by the Niagara SPCA to 221.

“All the precious lives are now safe in our care, but we’re stretched to the limit,” said Tammy Gaboury, animal care manager, on the SPCA’s website.

“We’ve planned for busy seasons. We couldn’t have planned for this.”

To cope with massive increase of cats under their care, the society is asking people to donate to help with care costs.

Canto says several pet stores have taken some of the cats to feature them as available in the store, as well as donated items for pets in need. Several vets are also stepping up to help cover some surgery and care costs, Canto added.

While under the SPCA’s care, each cat is given flea and parasite control, vaccinated, and received a full physical exam.

Gaboury said on the SPCA’s website they also spay or neuter all cats to help avoid overpopulation, and make it easier for them to find a new home.

“No cat should be left in a park, in a box, or behind a locked door. Please consider giving now to be part of their rescue story,” Gaboury says.

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After nearly two weeks, police in Niagara Falls, Ont., say they have finally caught up with a man who is accused of fatally running over an 82-year-old man with his own car.

The ordeal began on July 17, when officers were dispatched to Charles Daley Park in Lincoln at around  9:45 a.m. after a report that a vehicle had hit a pedestrian and fled the scene.

Two days later, police revealed that 82-year-old Larry Pearce of St. Catharines had succumbed to his injuries suffered in the collision while in hospital.

Police said Pearce had been at the park for about 40 minutes before he began to drive off. As he was leaving the parking lot, “he stopped and engaged in an interaction with unknown suspect(s).”

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Pearce then got out of the vehicle to talk with them and that was when a suspect hopped in and took control of the wheel, according to police. They say Pearce then jumped in front of the vehicle in an attempt to stop the thief from making off with his Honda CR-V but he fell to the ground and the SUV drove off.

Three days after the incident, police announced they were looking to speak with Davy Rocchetti in connection with the incident. They did not say whether the man was a suspect but did say he was wanted on charges unrelated to the hit and run, including mischief under $5,000, theft under $5,000 and operation while prohibited.

Then, on July 23, police announced that Rocchetti was facing a second-degree murder charge in connection with Pearce’s death and that officers were seeking a Canada-wide warrant in their search for the man.

Police said Rocchetti had been spotted in the 2012 grey Honda CR-V in Mississauga along with his pitbull-style dog.

Then last Thursday, police from Peel Region were dispatched to North Sheridan Way in Mississauga for a vehicle fire.

It was later confirmed to be the missing CR-V, according to police, who said a man was seen walking away from the SUV after it had been set ablaze.

Police say they finally caught up with Pearce on Tuesday night, arresting him for second-degree murder and taking him back to Niagara Region.

Police did not say where the arrest was made but noted that officers from Niagara, Peel and Toronto were involved.

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