I can only assume the car is from the US or from another province, or a friendly police officer gave him a vehicle inspection ticket, hence why he is looking for the vehicle inspection.
Canadian Tire has an agreement/contract from the feds to perform the RIV inspection but that only applies to car < 15 years old. It's safe to assume this does not apply to his '78 911. They are also able to perform the provincial vehicle inspection, which requires putting the car on to a lift which is OP's primary concern.
OP - I believe Derek Chu @ DC Motorworks on Clark Drive (Vancouver) is licensed to perform vehicle inspections. He has a lot of 911 experience under his belt despite not being known as a Porsche shop. He's rebuilt a 911 from the ground up and has worked on mine and did an amazing job!