Yes, that is the law. What you are looking for is a brake controller in the tow vehicle and an electric actuator on the trailer, the rest of the breaking system should be ok. It won't be cheap.
I don't understand why CT charged you $150. When I brought my boat and tandem trailer back from the US last summer, I had it inspected at CT and the only cost was the environmental tire fee of $5.00 per tire plus the taxes. The actual inspection is a joke, my trailer only had brakes on 1 axle, but in BC brakes are needed on both axles -it passed the inspection and no notation made on the report. They never had the keys to my truck to check if the brakes or the lights work, - what kind of inspection is that, I think the only thing they verified was the VIN. I spoke to a trailer shop in Richmond and they said the same thing. It is not a safety inspection.
