I need advice

[pizzalove]

I am an EU citizen who was in a long distant relationship with a Canadian Citizen living in Canada while I was living and teaching English in Italy since 2018. I visited every holiday until the pandemic happened in 2020 where my flight was cancelled that July only to not be able to see each other (because of the long travel ban) until the summer of 2022. We confirmed by then we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. I came back in winter of 2022-2023 for my authorized 6 months where we've been living together in British Columbia. We got engaged and 30 days before my expiry date of status, I applied for a visitor record requesting for 3 months but they gave me 12 months instead. I'm so grateful but I'm now 2 months away from my new expiry date of status, and unsure of what is best to apply for this time. I have not worked at all during this time but I hope some day soon I will be authorized so I can help pay the bills and afford better living conditions for us both as a happy loving couple. My biggest concern is not having to leave my Canadian fiancé at all.

My questions are:
1. Do I apply for another visitor record extension?
2. Do I apply for a work permit (currently on visitor record/TRV until February)?
3. Do we get married right away and apply for spousal sponsorship? We are happily engaged.
4. Is it so risky to travel together in February to see my family in Europe and come back as an unmarried couple?
5. Is there anything else more suited to me? Is there an order of these things I should be following?

Living on one salary, we can't afford a immigration lawyer.