I am in a difficult situation. I have a pr card which expired on 2017 without meeting ro. So in order to return to canada i applied for an h&c prtd which i have right now and is valid till may 2022. I was wondering if anyone has ever got a SIN with any of these. I also have a copr issued in 2012.
Have you already returned to Canada? Have you ever had a SIN number before?
There are a few threads in the residency obligation forum here, eg this one:
https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/renew-pr-card-after-entering-Сanada-with-prtd-for-h-c-reason.744147/
The news is not great, in that it seems Service Canada/CRA is requiring a valid PR card in order to issue a SIN.
On the positive side, you can apply for a PR card when you are in Canada - although it might take many/several months. (I presume this may be an issue with other necessary documentation, health care, etc).
My suggestion would be to see a lawyer, and not just an immigration lawyer, but a labour / tax lawyer. Because if you are a PR in Canada, you unambiguously have the right to work, and the government not issuing a SIN for a lack of documentation to confirm status (status which 'the government' can itself check). Possible a labour/tax lawyer would know if there is a way to fix this. If not, it seems to me there is a real cause to undertake legal action against the government - that may not be fun or quick, though, and might be expensive.
Good luck.
