American citizens do not legally require a passport to get back into the US - just a piece of photo ID. Homeland Security's databses are pretty comprehensive. - and the photocopy is a waste, though you should keep a record of the passport number, should you ever lose the original document.
You DO need your passport to get into Canada.
As to paying $228 for Fedex, too bad you didn't have someone who could take it to the airport for you and send it express air cargo it for you - you could have picked it up at the airport where you are and it should have cost less than $75.