klaas had some good advice about stores in vancouver.
I'd also throw Reckless into the mix as well(on Fir & 1st I think - near granville island). I friend used one of their house brand bikes for a month long tour of southern france. DeVinci makes their frames. They seem to have 3 touring bikes in the sub-$1600 range.
http://www.reckless.ca/product-bikes-diagram.htm
Sorry, I can't help with touring info, but I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for any advice that pops up.