Your belief is incorrect in law.
You can qualify for a conjugal sponsorship only if you cannot get married (you can, you're living in the same country, and you just don't want to) and the other person cannot travel to Canada.
You can qualify for a common-law sponsorship only if you have cohabited at the same address for a period of at least one year and can prove it. (you cannot, living across the street from each other does not count)
Since you do not qualify for conjugal, nor common-law, your only option if you want to sponsor your spouse is marriage.
There are other things you can do, like attempt to get your partner a travel visa to Canada, have her enter there and live without work for six months with you at the same address, apply for a tourist visa extension for another six months, and demonstrate common-law status in Canada. But that requires her to get a TRV and live with you in Canada without working. She could qualify for economic immigration and apply, and it would take a few months to a year to get it if she qualifies.
But you cannot sponsor a non-spouse without qualifying for conjugal partnerships or common-law partnerships.
It's illegal to marry just for a visa. But it's the law to require that you meet one of the categories to qualify for spousal sponsorship. It's ridiculous to think that you would qualify for spousal sponsorship if you are not spouses in the eye of the law.
Thanks again for your response. Though it is disheartening, I was hoping there would be some wiggle room for our situation. Unfortunately there's no way we can survive in Canada without working for a year (would be pretty boring as well) plus add on another year for the application. So that's 2 years stuck in a place without working. I guess marriage really is the only option.