Snow washing

It is easy under Canadian law to set up a company, even for a fee as low as C$200, while shielding the identities of the firm's real owners from the eyes of tax authorities.

[2] The global elite, as well as criminals and foreigners avoiding economic sanctions, can set up shell companies to "make suspect transactions seem legitimate" under the cover of Canada's reputation for fiscal integrity.

[1] The practice effectively makes Canada a tax haven along with countries such as the British Virgin Islands, Panama and the Bahamas.

[2] There was a report in The Economist suggesting that the overheated market for private property in the Canadian city of Vancouver may be partially the result of purchases by unidentified persons, possibly foreign criminals and corrupt officials, as a way to launder dirty money.

[3] One estimate in 2009 by the national police was that 15 billion dollars was being laundered annually in Canada because of the opaque disclosure requirements.

Canada is known for its cold winters and snow.
There are reports that many of the new houses bought in Vancouver are bought by anonymous foreigners as a way to evade taxes or do an end-around economic sanctions or launder money.