I don't know anything about Canadian bike shops, but in the USA the ratio of derailleur to IGH bicycles in most shops runs at least 100:1, if not higher. Most shops have no IGH bikes at all.

I think a lot of casual-use people would prefer IGH, but it's almost wasting your breath to mention it.
Between the hassle of having a shop convert a single-speed bike and the resulting total cost, I've not heard of any non-bicycling enthusiast who has ever bothered.
"Why pay $700 for this, when wal-mart has nearly the same thing for $100?"
'Because this will work right and last longer and be a lot nicer to use. If any of that matters.'