Sorry, only just saw this. I called CIC and the person I spoke to said it was "probably" a yes, because they hadn't asked anything else. He confirmed that Ottawa would be doing the paperwork in terms of sending things out. He couldn't give any sort of idea how long it would be.
I can't really get a straight answer about implied status. I think that only applies if I have some other sort of visa, like a temporary work one. If I then apply to extend that, and it runs out before I get an answer, I'm then on implied status. That said, I'm not an expert and I really, really wouldn't recommend that you make any decisions based on what I've said.