I'm sure you've seen pictures of my bike. I have around $4000 in it right now. That does not include the engine, steering stem, plastic, seat, carbs, axle, spindles, any hubs, any of the billet I have made to put on it (all of my billet is for sale, so I don't bother to add it to the value of my bike for insuance purposes )
If you added in around $1000 for a blown engine, you could still put $1200 in it to get it going again, barring any tranny or clutch problems. Those would set you back $400 or so each to fix. It just keeps adding up.
Do what the others mentioned. Find an old beater to start with. If buying stuff in Canada is a problem, what about just over the boarder in the good ol US?? I know you would have to pay a duty....but you might get the people you bought it from to write you a receipt for $400 or something if its in rough shape.
I commend those that have had the cash, the time, and the balls to build one up from the ground up. It takes a lot.