Thanks, my friend..
I think that you have spent quite some time on all these things, and now you are an expert

Good for you, and lucky us!
As for the second question, I see that, logically, the answer should be YES. Another reason is that your dependent's permit is valid until your permit's expiry date. So, if you wait to get your new permit and then apply for your dependent's one, your dependent may illegally stay in Canada for a while.