Yup, don't forget it's Canada, eh?
Of the 3 cheapest cars here, none have A/C on the base model: Chevy Spark (just under $12k), Mirage ($12.5k), Nissan Micra ($10k). In reality, I think the Micra is going to force Mitsu & GM's hand, and your proclamation may come to pass (starting price will be under 12k, either MSRP or with perma-rebates).
If you're not in a big urban center (ie. sitting in traffic) in central Canada (where we do get 1 or 2 months of genuinely "hot & humid" each summer), you don't really need A/C, strictly speaking.
I lived in the Cayman Islands for a little while. Result of that experience: I no longer think it actually gets hot in Canada -- I haven't complained about the heat once since I got back!
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 62.4 mpg (US) ... 26.5 km/L ... 3.8 L/100 km ... 74.9 mpg (Imp)