Yes, that is the case. I am from Waterloo as well. They are very slow or short staff in Kitchener-Waterloo office. I sent my application on Sep. 16, which was received on the 19th. Still awaiting...Hi Guys, just got my test invite today.
Application Sent: 06 September 2018
Application received: 10 September 2018
Location: Waterloo, ON
Physical presence: 1,148 days
AOR: 23 Nov 2018
IP: 03 Dec 2018
Test: 18 Sep 2019
Oath: Pending
Application Type: Single
looks like they only going to pick your application exactly after an year they received it, atleast for kitchener-waterloo region, same for all my friends who submitted applications in 2018.