Well, after almost 2 months of research and one bicycle show I have narrowed it down to one bike, and the winner is.....(drum roll) the Marin Four Corners. 
It was the right decision for many reasons, while the Trek 520 & Surly Long Haul Trucker have been manufacturing touring bikes since 30 years ago or more, there were around the $1700 bikes, so way off my budget. The Raleigh Sojourn although nice and good looking was heavy and I wasn't sure disc brakes were the best option (for a quick fix) on the road. The Marin Four Corners on the other hand was only $900 and it comes with the option of Cantilever or Disc Brakes, and the whole Forest Green sexy look sold me on the spot! (yeah, green's my favourite colour)
At the bike show I was lucky enough thanks to my brother to get a hold the Marin representative and obtain that amazing price, he was very interested about my trip and being the Four Corners a new addition to the catalogue almost proud I had chosen Marin for my trip. He was very helpful and courteous and offered assistance for when I reach Quebec.
My main urban commuter bike for the past 5 years has been a Marin Kentfield, so I know it is a reliable, strong and lasting bike plus I know the mechanic/repair part will be easy.

Here you can see all the specifications of the bike directly on the Marin website
http://www.marinbikes.com/2011/bike_specs.php?serialnum=1855

And for the "Eye Candy" here's a picture of my mean-lean-green-machine!

Countdown to the Trip = 87 Days left.

Well, the most important piece in this crazy bicycle adventure of course is the bike itself. Touring bikes are not that affordable and they surpass the $1000, and the ones that are under that range are normally cheap quality. Since I am going to be ridding it for 3 months everyday I figured i need to find something that won't break on the first week.
I started looking for used bikes but no luck, many brands make touring bikes but I managed after 3 months of research to narrow it down to four. 
- Trek 520
- Surly Long Haul Trucker
- Raleigh Sojourn
- Marin Four Corners
The Toronto International Bike Show is coming soon so I will have a better chance to test them and take a better look at them in order to choose "the one"

Countdown to the Trip = 95 Days.