One more time for good luck, Mish:
https://vancouver.ca/images/web/empty-homes-tax/developer-faq-empty-homes-tax-2017-05-31.pdf
You can't evict people out of your building in Vancouver until you have a permit. They can leave, sure, and then you pay them out most times depending on timelines of your application. But if a developer decides to keep their building empty as they wait for permits then that's on them and that's exactly what this tax is to avoid. Empty homes.