My addition to your driving comment is to make sure you have the right tires on your vehicle and if you have a rear wheel drive vehicle, get rid of it and get an AWD one. And before someone jumps in and comments about how their Mustang does just fine in the snow, let me remind you that OP has no experience driving in snow, so no, a RWD car is crap for snow/ice compared to FWD or AWD.
As for the tires, I realize studded tires have their issues, but they are still the best winter tire for both snow and ice. Blizzaks and the like are good, but on glare ice with a thin layer of water on top, they just don't cut it the way studded tires do.
Goddamn Alberta. You're taking away all the wrong lessons from US politics