[Great68]

I never had snow tires when I lived in Richmond and never had a problem, however Richmond is flat.

I got stuck with my civic during my first winter in Victoria and vowed never again, there's a lot more steep hills here.

Definately find a lightly used set if you can.

One of my best purchases was a set of 1-season old X-ice's on OEM MS3 wheels that a guy in Campbell River was selling (I think the ad was originally on Revscene). They still have lots of tread on them today, and the car is an absolute beast in the snow. Last winter I had to pick up my mom from the Ferry and got caught in a heavy snow dump on the way. Cars were getting stuck left right and center on the highway, the offramp to the passenger pickup area was blocked by a stuck transit bus. I drove around them all like it was nothing.