I believe your dad has a point! I live on the Canadian Prairies so I expect I would fall into "high light with some frost". It is cold here though. Think Siberia.
Zone 2 is very difficult and I like to joke that I get my vegetables the hard way. I do start seeds indoors, such as tomatoes and peppers. This year I am starting a bunch of perennials that I hope to plant outdoors at the beginning of June. I direct sow other stuff like carrots and lettuce as soon as the snow is gone and the soil is no longer frozen. I already have seeds in my coldframes and in a few weeks I will sow seeds in my main garden.
Last frost dates are iffy. In general, it is not safe for plants until the last weekend in May. That is not a guarantee, however, as last year I had a hard frost on Midsummer (June 21/22). I lost many plants.
My region is quite north at about the 52nd parallel north. The advantage there is that the days are long. By Midsummer, the sun does not set until close to 11 pm. Right now, the sun is setting just before 8:30 pm.
Although Fall, Winter, and Spring are cold, the Summer months are hot. June to August averages 25 Celsius. It is normal to have temperatures well above 30 during these months. I can grow almost anything during these months. The problem is the Winter. It is so cold and only a minority of plants can make it through. Trees, shrubs, and plants need to survive temps between -40 and -50 Celsius!
I find it amazing that you have a paprika plant that is two years old! Mine will die off in the first hard frost in September.
Thanks for reading. I will keep posting more stuff as the season wears on.
I started my paprika indoors, and where I am there is no winter frost. A lot of rain though. But it is showing its age now. I need to pull it up once winter has settled.