I have read in some posts that there is quite a bit of time wasted between when you point your miners to the Kano pool and when they actually begin mining. Is this true? If so why is that?
Uh, no. When you are mining you are mining. Care to elaborate on what exactly your talking about? Or are we supposed to play the guessing game as to what your talking about? I never liked charades.

I've read in numerous posts, that anywhere from 24 hrs to over a week before you begin getting credited any BTC.
One excerpt I had saved..
However, unlike Kano's pool, there is no 'unpaid dust' on ckpool. Kano's pool has a ramping up time period he calls 'dust mining'. In three years, he has not paid out that dust to most of the people mining it.
So, is this true? How long is this dust mining period? I also have read that if you have low hash rate you are not getting the same payout rate as those with large hashrate (on a per TH basis)
The rest is a moron who got upset about the dust and decided to lie about stuff to make himself feel better.
Feel pity for him, for he has no better thing to do in his life that make up stories to make himself feel good about himself