Deb, it depends on which part of the country you live in, really. There are wide variations. Where I live, we actually get less snow than people do in upstate New York (considerably less). But where Shannon lives, in Winnipeg, it's another story. Same with where Sveta lives, in Ontario's snow belt, Western Ontario -- she would get way more than me. Ditto Krish, who lives in Ottawa, just a few hours north of me, but away from the lake.
Meanwhile, in Victoria, they get very little snow...but when they DO get a snowfall it throws everybody into a panic because people do not know how to drive in those conditions and they don't have a lot of snow removal equipment.
So....keeping in mind, I live in Eastern Ontario now, and grew up just west of Toronto, in central Ontario -- but always near the lake, which moderates temperature and precipitation considerably.
Growing up, we regularly had a few snow days a year where I lived. Now (with global warming) not so much. "Snow days" meant schools were closed due to the conditions. (I was not bussed to school, but walked. Where busses are involved the closures may be even more frequent).
People learn to deal with snowfall -- we listen for the weather and get up early to shovel ourselves out. With the a big snowfall like this, some people inevitably would arrive late to the office. And in most workplaces, those in authority would understand that. But the snow has to be MUCH worse than this before people would be excused from work entirely. At least in my experience.
Snow and ice can seriously affect seniors' comfort with walking on sidewalks. But apart from the very old and very, very young, most people go about their business on foot or by car on on transit, as per usual. You even see some people riding their bikes in the snow, although in my opinion that is a bit foolhardy. As the mom of a young baby I exchanged a stroller for a sleigh and pulled my daughter in winter. She loved it!
You can probably understand why ballet flats in winter seem seasonally confused to me, looking at where I live. Boots are crucial; this is why I ALWAYS tell Una that it is perfectly okay for her to indulge in boots. She needs variety in her winter footwear! (Her snow is far worse than mine.)
During ice storms people are warned not to travel. And rightly so.