I got a different one, slightly different. Tamron something or other, I'm too lazy to check right now. It's nothing special, it's just a lil better than the kit lens.

oh! lol well I have heard Tamron makes great lenses at cheaper prices. Otherwise you can always buy used lenses, not sure about Canada but you can buy used photo equipment at certain stores or online here and if you are lucky you can really find some cheap stuff lol I bet almost any lens is better than that kit lens that comes with the XTI. btw I have heard some wonderful things about 50mm f1.8 lens its very cheap and takes very sharp photos at low light but its not a zoom lens though
http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=30&sort=7&cat=2&page=1

50mm 1.8 is a must have for enyone with no better lens alike. Af on it is quite noisy and bit slow and it wont focus in dark plases that well(but not much worse than kit lens), but the image quality is REALLY good for its price and u can use f1.8 with it, that brings a whole new world to photography.

True its not a zoom, but u cant get f-1.8 to a zoom and if u want sharp pics like that to zoom lens, ur gonna have to pay shit loads of cash for it. Personally i prefer primes in most cases(28mm and 50mm), zooms are good if shooting ultra wide angle(like on my 10-20mm) or really long focal lenght(like on my 55-250 i bought yesterday).