Ecas will show IN PROCESS till your visa is stamped, The Day the visa is stamped n your PP it will change to Decision Made.Ideally you should have waited till Decision Made Stage on Ecas to start Packing up , some times this practice can get delayed . But on the bright side , if all goes well you should have your PP back in hand soon enough. Best of Luck. This yesr it is predicted that Winter will be Normal unlike last year when it was awfully warm. check Weather Forcast website to see whatt were the temp in diffrent parts of canada. To get a sense of temprature and coldness, go to Ski Dubai, it is kept at + 3 Degree, that will put matter in perspective for you.
Also refer my previous post on landing experince to get answers to your other questions