At the risk of sounding a little defensive, I have Caesarstone counters and they are anything but "fake." Why are they so expensive? I dunno, mine were somewhere in the region of $85/sq.ft. installed. YMMV.

Don't get me wrong - I liked the ceasarstone, but the price seems excessive in my area. For my Island (22 sq. ft. with 2 cutouts) the price quoted was $3000 with tax.

People choose quartz because it has advantages over granite, not because it's cheap, because it isn't. There's a lot of inexpensive granite that's cheaper than quartz.

Something that might be a consideration for your soapstone: how do the stone yard and the kitchen store template? Reading through posts here, it seems that some places come out and fit luan pieces over your cabinets to get a template. Some fabricators go with a measuring tape and a piece of paper to write the numbers on. Some places have a laser device that notices every little wave and wobble in your walls and cuts the stone to match. What method do your two options use?

What type of kitchen look are you going for? An island with caesarstone vs an island of butcher block is quite different.

You can get a better price from Nova Tile if you have estimates from other companies - they will often match prices.
There is a company in Moncton that sells caesarstone for $67/ft plus cutouts and edge. Delivery and installation are included in the price. There is a soapstone guy in the valley - Lillem stone - as an alternative to the soapstone you have seen in the city. He sells Original PA from GreenMountain Soapstone. There is another really great guy in Bridgewater who may have soapstone but also other granite slabs you can look at.

HTH

Thanks! I'll have to check them out!

Ikea also has deals with contractors to install Caesarstone at their price, when you buy it through them.