Well I believe there is no formal reason why a person needs "extra permission" to print their visas at any office that handles visa printing. As an applicant your information is available through GCMS, and a visa officer can open up your file, check that you are asked to submit the passport.
What I don't understand is why the passports have to be sent to OTTAWA, when there are thousands of visa offices all over the world. They also know a lot of the spouses/applicants live outside Canada. Yet they have a procedure in place that does not benefit these out-of-Canada applicants other than "Ummmm Email us, we will see what we can do" - What kind of response is this? Their should be clear instructions like "If you are outside Canada, contact your local High Commission that handles Permanent Residency application for your country" OR "If you are outside Canada, send your passport with a copy of PRR to your local High Commission that handles Permanent Residency application for your country"....Simple!
The instruction on PPR seems more like a guideline than a strict rule. I hope you get your visa stamped soon. That way people who are waiting for weeks, can at least have that option available.
