Hi Ray and welcome. I used to look forward to entering the fishing derby in Owen Sound but haven't bothered the last couple of years. It's sad what's happened to the salmon runs.
The Chapters foray into ebooks is Kobo (
http://www.kobobooks.com). They are being backed by Borders as well so I wouldn't expect to see Chapters selling the B&N Nook. There was a rumour that Kobo would be introducing their own electronic reader but nothing officially announced yet. You can buy from Kobo and read on any device that support Adobe ePUB though. Check out their device support for further information.
Apple's announcement is Wednesday so you might as well wait an see if it appeals to you. I'm expecting just a bigger iPod Touch. Better for watching movies, better for colour magazines, better for text books (tables, formulas etc...), better web browsing, better games, doc it on a stand with a wireless keyboard and mouse and you have a small iMac.... oh and you can also use it to read those ebook things. It depends if you want a do everything device or a dedicated ebook reader.
I would check out your local library to see what their ebooks support is like. Libraries seem to be heading to ePUB so that might influence your decision.
Sony is selling through a bunch of retailers including Sears. You might want to check out your local Sears to see if they have one on display. For e-ink displays I would say that Sony has the most broad appeal in Canada. I would start there but check out the others as well.