As I observed before, it appears your application has been approved but that you will probably be sent a notice to pick up the card in person. That it will not be mailed to you. But I am no expert. I have no inside IRCC information. I am just offering an observation based on following PR card renewal issues for about eight years now, backed-up by doing a fair amount of homework (reading actual cases as published by official sources in addition to following reports in this and other forums).
As I previously stated, there has been at least one participant in this forum reporting that the new card was mailed after Secondary Review, but my sense is that is unusual, not the ordinary practice, that the ordinary practice is to send a notice to the PR to come and pick up the PR card in person (again, when there has been Secondary Review and it is different for routinely processed card applications).
You do not indicate how it is that you continue to be in compliance with the PR Residency Obligation. Since you report being divorced, and having moved abroad following or pursuant to that, my guess is that your compliance with the PR RO was based on time in Canada prior to the divorce. If this is the case, when you approach being abroad for three years (that is, as it gets closer to having been three years since you moved to your home country), you will be approaching a breach of the PR RO, and when you are in breach that will likely result in the loss of PR status.
In any event, the PoE officer was largely correct: IRCC (in March 2015 it was CIC) overtly discourages the practice of PRs living abroad renewing their PR card unless and until they return to actually live in Canada. Technically a person who has PR status is entitled to a PR card, but the purpose is nonetheless to provide a status card to persons who have PR status who are actually permanently residing in Canada. And persons not residing in Canada, let alone not permanently settled and residing in Canada, are outside the scope of what PR status is intended for, even if they otherwise technically meet the minimum requirements to have PR status. IRCC does not make it easy for such individuals. Actually, they deliberately make it more difficult (hence, for example, the rule that the PR card application can only be made in Canada).
Given the nature of the PoE experience, suggests that you either were already been flagged to some extent, or at the least are now flagged. And indeed, a FOSS flag based on that interaction at the PoE in March 2015 may have been what triggered the referral to Secondary Review . . . at that time CIC, and now IRCC, specifically looked for indications the applicant for a new/renewed PR card might be residing abroad even though making the application from within Canada, and if so that was reason for a Secondary Review.
I realize I am not offering you any solution to your actual problem: personal circumstances making travel to Canada prohibitive. I do not know a solution. Financial help from somewhere, someone perhaps. I'm guessing the other parent is not willing or in a position to finance your return to Canada despite the fact you will end up losing PR status and thus might not be able to accompany your child to Canada in the future. I realize this is probably a very difficult situation and time for you.
But it is foreseeable that unless you return to live in Canada, you will likely lose PR status. This will not affect your child's Canadian citizenship.
