Nissan Leaf in Canada

[Ramesh Fernando]

Hi all,
I put in a refundable deposit $100 Canadian for a Nissan Leaf today
and my dealer says it will be out here in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada by
early 2011 but I called Nssan Canada customer service and got a
response that the Leaf will be out in fall 2011. Which is correct? Why
is my dealer taking deposits so early if they don't when the Leaf will
be out. The dealer said, 3 months before the order, they will contact
me and let me decide exactly how what colour, model and extras etc. I
want on the Leaf. The dealer said that Vancouver if not most of
British Columbia will have the shipments delivered at the Vancouver
port and be tested out in Vancouver before Ontario get's it. I was
wondering if I should listen to the customer service rep at Nissan
Canada and have to wait until fall 2011 or if Nissan HQ in Japan had a
change of heart and will be releasing the Leaf throughout North
America in early 2011. I really don't understand why Nissan is not
releasing it in Ontario early as Ontario has a $8500 Canadian tax
rebate for batteries which use up more than 17 kwh and are full 4
wheel electric vehicles (EV).

What really sucks is that the Ontario Conservatives (our equal of the
Saudi loving Bush Republicans though in our case it's the dirty
Alberta tar sands loving kind) who take their orders from the federal
Conservative government whose environment minister (equal to EPA
director) Jim Prentice defends the stinking oil industry might cancel
the rebates. Imagine even a Republican EPA director like Carol Browner
defending the oil industry. It's funny actually, I don't like the
huge tax increases that the current provincial premier (equal to
governor) Dalton McGuinty raised, but much prefer his environmentalism
and emphasis on switching to green technology over the current federal
government and the opposition party of Ontario.