are you 1-car family? that is also to consider.

Winter being harsh does not necessarily means alot of snow. As the matter of fact our friends north in Ontario and Quebec get much less snow than upstate New York. For 2 reasons: it is much colder there, and they are not getting hit by lake effect evaporation from great lakes. Something like 8 feet of snow in one storm last winter in Buffalo is probably unheard of in Quebec.

So if the snowfall is measured in inches (centimeters) not feet (meters) you'll be ok with 2wd. As long as snow stays below car clearance (5-5.5") and there are no steep hills 2wd with good tires will pull you alone.