You seem to be having good success with people answering your questions about rental cars, gasoline, Samana etc. What specific type of help are you lacking? What is it you are asking for, an afternoon meet & greet, dinner, a one-on-one email exchange?
Many of those that live here have learned from experience that sometimes it's advantageous to maintain a cautious degree or two of separation from complete strangers or those who can reasonably labeled "accidents waiting to happen. You are coming to a country where the foreigner (being a minority) is sometimes taken advantage of and where being too nice can be seen as a weakness. Some of us at times feel like a lobster in an aquarium at a posh seafood restaurant. It can be pretty easy to get into a spot of bother here, and being a foreigner, sometimes not very easy to get out of it.
This is not a reflection on you personally, nor am I suggesting that you can't come here and do all that you want and be just fine. It's just a little outside the norm to be all warm and cuddly with strangers here, be they locals or other foreigners until there is some sort of a rapport - usually established over time at a local watering hole or through some other venue. For those who do not routinely throw all caution to the wind, there is a bit of a mental exercise we sometimes engage in to weigh the risks vs the benefits of a particular course of action. Something that we all take for granted at home such as driving after dark can be a life changing experience here so we have to decide how badly we need whatever we are considering going out for.
I'm sure you are a lovely couple. Being Canadian, probably a real hoot to spend a few hours with. Yet, most on this forum as a general rule don't tell others where they live with any specificity and few real names (First and or last) are offered up without some sort of legitimate need to do so. Took me a few months to stop introducing myself, "Hi I'm John Doe from Casa Linda why don't you pop by for a cocktail and chat beside the pool."
While here, and driving around this great country, never forget where you are (a poor third world country) and that not everyone is automatically your friend who will always offer you a firm handshake shake and honest offer of assistance or comradery.
Just about anyone who has spent anytime on their own in the third world will have altered their behavior somewhat from how they would normally conduct themselves day to day while at home.
Come, be safe, have a great vacation. Just be cautious and think before you jump.