Turns out there was a little more wrong with the Mazda3 then I thought.
Front pads and rotors had to be changed, as well as the two front tires. Also, the parking brake cable had to be changed. $1,000 later, it drives like a dream. I should hope so! $1,000 isn’t something people like to spend lightly!
My only beef is the fact that I had to pay $152 to install a $102 brake cable (which arguably doesn’t have to get changed, n’est-ce pas?).
The next time I go to get some work done, I’m heading to a local mechanic to try them out. Let me know if you know of any good ones in the Ottawa area!