I've been lurking for a while, time to say hi. I split my time between Newfoundland and New Brunswick, thus the vague "Atlantic Canada" in the subject line.
I've always had wide feet. My mother once apologized for having let me run around barefoot so much as a child, making it hard to find shoes that fit. Strange she'd see it as having let me "ruin" my feet, rather than consider there was something wrong with shoes, but I guess that's the mindset we're all trying to change. As a kid, in summer the soles of my feet were an interesting leather-like texture; I have approached that in recent years by going barefoot around the yard, and a few places it feels safe to do so.
I don't run, but I hike quite a bit. Once in a while, on soft squishy forest soils in mild weather, I'll ditch my shoes, and enjoy the funny looks I get. I'm trying to find a minimalist solution to the Atlantic Canadian winter. Here in Corner Brook we just got about 40 cm of snow in 24 hours, luckily the light fluffy stuff, but of course there will be slush eventually. I'm missing my Merrels.
This place is a great resource, I've learned a lot about feet and footwear hanging around here!
Welcome to to forums! I live in Atlantic Canada as well (Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec).
Footwear for winter can be a little tricky. If conditions aren't wet, then mukluks can be a good option but they don't work so well when things are warmer. For wet conditions, my current favorite are the Inov-8 RocLite 288 GTX, sized big for thick socks and extra room in the toebox. They aren't completely flat, but they have a relatively low heel rise and are very flexible.
For snowshoeing, Forty Below Light Energy over boots are great, you can put them over anything you like.
Another possibility are overboots from NEOS. They are waterproof, flat, and have a relatively flexible sole.
Hope this helps!