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I'm also Canadian, so I'll shed some light. While Canadian tuition is more expensive for Americans (international student rates), it's still a lot cheaper than even the state schools in the US. Regarding reputation, universities work in a much different way than in the US. UofT (Toronto) and UBC (British Columbia) are really no more reputable than most of Canadian universities. Our government holds all universities to the same standard and each school must meet those standards in order to be considered accredited. In the US, Harvard and Stanford are on a different playing level than the lower ranked schools, but this is not representative of the Canadian education system.

I'm currently a student at a university in Canada - the University of Western Ontario, so I could help answer any questions you have. What is it that you'd like to study? That makes a big difference. For example, if you want to study Business, I'd recommend the University of Western Ontario (Richard Ivey School of Business) or Queen's University (Queen's Commerce). In my opinion, both of those programs are far superior to its Canadian counterparts.

Regarding advantages of going to a Canadian school - it depends. One of my boyfriend's best friends is a Florida native and chose to come to school in Canada - at Western. It's really up to your personal preference. Attending a Canadian school will likely save you money during your undergraduate career. Is that the only factor you're considering, though? Saving money? If it is, I urge you to think of other factors that are important to you when selecting a school.

Also, what are your grades like? It's pretty competitive to get into some of the good schools. I.e., McGill University has a cut-off of about 88%, Western has a cut-off of about 84.5% and Queen's has something very similar. All of the other schools are usually 80%ish or below. I know several people who were accepted to the University of Toronto with a 70% average. It really is dependant on the specific program and university that you wish to attend.

If you have any other specific questions, shoot me a message and I'll get back to you with quality advice!