Good news! My NIF has arrived. Everything looks fine.
That took longer than expected (since Nov 8), because of COVID I suppose, but the setup process was smooth and they delivered the expected outcome. I am planning to commence in January so the delay was acceptable for my purposes.
They responded to all customer service inquiries within 2 business days while I was anxiously awaiting this day. The confirmation message reiterates that they will forward any tax correspondence to me by email for one year. I presume that I can renew or change as expiration approaches.
cc @tkrunning