The Canadian Competition Bureau is taking legal action against Canada's Wonderland, accusing the theme park of using what's known as "drip pricing" when advertising tickets and other products online.
The Bureau says customers are being shown lower prices upfront — only to discover surprise fees tacked on at checkout.
According to the Competition Bureau, the issue revolves around mandatory processing fees that range from $0.99 to $9.99, depending on what you're buying and how many items are in your cart.
For most admission tickets, the fees can start at $6.99 and go up from there. Even non-ticket items like parking passes or meal deals can come with an extra $0.99 fee when purchased online — and those extra charges aren't always visible until the very end of the online checkout process.
The Bureau argues that this setup is misleading, claiming that Canada's Wonderland is advertising prices that consumers can't actually get without adding those fixed fees.
"This practice, commonly known as drip pricing, is deceptive because consumers are not presented with an attainable price upfront," the Bureau explained in a press release on Monday.
The government agency says that under changes to the Competition Act made back in 2022, drip pricing like this is now explicitly banned unless the added charges are government-imposed fees like taxes.
The Bureau filed an application with the Competition Tribunal asking the court to order Wonderland to stop the practice, pay a penalty and compensate affected customers.
Canada's Wonderland, which is located in Vaughan, Ontario, is the biggest combined amusement and water park in the country and is owned by U.S.-based Six Flags Entertainment Corporation.
In a statement emailed to Narcity, Canada's Wonderland denied the allegations and said it plans to fight them in court. "The allegations made by the Competition Bureau are unfounded and we will defend our commitment to transparency and consumer value," the park said.
Wonderland added that it does not engage in drip pricing, stating, "From the outset, our guests receive disclosure of any applicable fees." It also argued that its flexible pricing structure allows visitors to choose options that best suit their preferences — and that removing these variable fees could actually reduce choice and increase costs for guests.
This isn't the first time the Bureau has cracked down on big corporations for drip pricing. Just last year, Cineplex was ordered to pay $39 million for similar conduct after the Tribunal found it was advertising misleading ticket prices online.
Competition Bureau Commissioner Matthew Boswell made it clear that the agency is taking drip pricing seriously: "Canadians should always be able to trust the initial advertised price," he said. "We're taking action against Wonderland because misleading tactics like drip pricing only serve to deceive and harm consumers."
The allegations against Canada's Wonderland haven’t been proven in court, and the case is ongoing.
This article has been updated.
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