You would think that if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident it doesn’t, or if you are a non-resident purchasing outside the GVRD it doesn’t. EXCEPT along with the new 15% tax on residential properties for foreign entities, there are now new requirements where transactions involve Canadian citizens and permanent residents with respect to their identity. Their identity must be verified using official government issued identification, a practice which has been in place for some time. The additional requirement is now we must also obtain your social insurance number and we must verify that number by viewing and retaining a copy of the social insurance card and comparing the name or by viewing and retaining either a T4 or a Notice of Assessment.