Additionally for anyone outside the Vancouver market, is this a possible North American/Canadian wide trend that could be implemented going forward ultimately eliminating the business of being an RE Wholesaler?

Look it up, many investors have been able to implement this method for billing utilities to tenants and are happy with the results/savings/increased NOI etc. 

Even if Congress passes it the SEC may drag things out for a long time in implementation.  

This will differ, depending on the locality, local laws and political commitment to implementation of technology. 

A good friend of mine has a house in Carbon county and we frequently go there for long weekends.

. :)The Seattle area has been white-hot as far as rising home prices go, great news for the savvy flipper or talented wholesaler, not so great news if you're into traditional buy-hold investing as home prices have far outstripped the ability of rents to keep up.If you're looking for an informal meet-up to attend, @Troy Fisher and @Tiffany Plovie run a great series of get togethers in Kirkland/Seattle while their colleague @Kevin Carbon is passing the torch down in Tacoma-Lakewood.Cheers and good luck!

However, I don't know how soon they will be implemented....???  

While I admit to finding this difficult to implement, I think it's vital to schedule time.

You could implement new rules as you are a new owner BUT who says they will listen.STEP 1: Give them a new lease and point out in the lease "NO SMOKING".

Anyone thinking about implementing this scheme needs to look long and hard at their final goals and the math.