One way to look at it is that the cost of snow tires is cheaper than the accident you'll avoid.
If you put lots of kilometers on your car, spend the money and buy the better name brand tires: Goodyear, Continental, Bridgestone, etc. I've had great luck with Toyo for winter tires (Michelin for summer). Kuhmos and Hankook are good too at a lesser price point. Nokians are bonkers expensive. I'm sure most guys here can bore you with technicalities of tires...
If you put a few kilometers on the car, you can save some money and buy whatever Canadian Tire has on special. Any winter tire sold in Ontario is better than an all-season or summer tire.
You'll get better life out of the tires if you buy a set of black steel rims to mount the tires upon. Expect to pay $40-$70/rim (size dependent) and add that to the tire price. Figure out if you have a place to store the tires (summer or winter) when not in use.
For steel rims and tires, balanced and installed a price between $800-$1,000 is reasonable in my opinion. Tire size, etc. will govern the price. The price you've quoted has a huge range - make sure you're comparing apples to apples.
If you have doubts, my only other recommendation is to buy from a reputable shop like OK Tire, KalTire, Green + Ross, etc. Some local shops are fantastic, but word of mouth should take you there. I have had good service with Tire Discounter.