-I assume at no point did you live together more than 12 months, continuously (in which case you'd be considered common law and you could sponsor, although documentation might be difficult).
-The only/best realistic option is to see each other and marry. This can be a third country. Or if he applies for and gets a Canadian visa, marry in Canada.
-There is a so-called 'conjugal sponsorship' but the bar is very high to prove that there is a legal and immigration barrier to you getting married - eg against the law to marry (same sex for example) and he has been denied a visa.