Love that story about the Victoria pot dealer... hilarious! I'm originally from Vancouver, but I moved to London, Ontario from Duncan, BC (about an hour's drive north of Victoria) back in 1986. At that time I was a teenager riding BMX bikes, and since we lived in a more rural area I didn't do much commuting.

I second the recommendation to join MEC; I've purchased quite a few accessories from them and came close to buying one of their bikes earlier this year. I settled on a Norco (a Vancouver-based company) instead, but MEC has some darn nice bikes.

One suggestion I would make is to invest in a second wheelset with studded tires for those occasional west coast winter days when the mercury dips below freezing. That way you can truly be a 4-season commuter. Oh... and you'll need some rain gear, and some fenders (MEC is a good source for that, too).