Hi Chris and Welcome to our thread
You are an "old timer" with Vienna I guess
For starters try to add your timeline by entering your info in the Profile section of the forum.
Vienna has been performing very very bad this year. In the beginning of 2013 the processing times were 9 months and it has gradually progressed to 13 months but its actually longer than this! Other European VO"s like Rome and Paris are also advertising similar processing times but they are expediting applications in less than 6 months.
Now, you filed in Mississauga in November 2012 and at those days the sponsorship approval was 55 days (comparing to 28 that it is now) plus the fact that your app was in CIC-M during the holidays so I can assume that your sponsorship approval (SA) took all the way to February 2013
So your file was indeed transferred to Vienna at the end of February and then Vienna sent you a request for police clearances from Colombia and Russia. I take it that your wife has lived or worked in these two countries?
i have a feeling that your process has been delayed mostly of the fact that she (your wife) has lived in 3 countries (including Slovakia) so having to check backgrounds in three countries plus the fact that Vienna has become a notoriously slow VO is delaying your application.
Your wife been a Slovak can certainly come and visit Canada without the need of pre-approved visa so she may at any point during this process come there to be with you for few months.
I hope this helped
Tom