Just renewed my passport in person and thought I’d give a recent timeline like somebody else did.
I filled out the online application and paid online. The closest appointment date was about 3 weeks away. My appointment at the embassy was for 9:30. I arrived at 9 and was close to the back of the line. I got all the documents and an Xpresspost prepaid envelope (The centre opened by 9). I completed everything a little after 10.
I tracked it online. By the end of the first week, it had been printed but apparently before going into Canada Post, it goes through their ‘logistic’ system that collects and sorts the passports.
By the third week, the status changed to issued meaning it had been collected by their system. At the end of the fourth week, I tracked it online on Canada Post and received a text they had picked it up. It was delivered to my door the very next day.
In total, from submitting my application to getting to my passport, it took 6-7 weeks.