No just applying for it or not using it does not as there are other things that determine if you are deemed tax resident such as establishing a residence, 183 days in the country and so on. All explained on the CRA website.
People do soft landings all the the time for example, get their SIN then leave for a couple of years but are not tax resident until they actually come back a meet the requirements for tax residency.
You do not have to own property for it to be a primary tie. Normal people wouldn't rent a place if they weren't living in it. Therefore, since they or their family are most likely living in the rented property, they have clear ties to Canada and would probably be considered to be residents.