"How I wish I could simply go carfree! The winter is too harsh here to even consider biking the whole winter."

FYI-- I biked the whole winter, 2 years in a row, in montreal. I just moved out of montreal recently.

There's another guy, Michel Gagnon, who comes to this section of bikeforums who's from Quebec and I'm almost certain he rides all winter.

But you have to become a confident rider before riding on snow/ice.