Jai Shri Ram Deepa madam!
I’m happy to chime in
, this is pretty much the situation that I found myself a couple of years back and chose to move to Victoria BC.
Before that however I would encourage the OP to distill down and crystallize on their priorities, at the bare minimum to classify them as must haves and good to have. For example the requirement to have an international airport nearby is plain silly unless they travel to India 6-7 times a year. If you’re going to be travelling only once or twice a year then making a domestic connection to Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary really shouldn’t be a big deal. The other requirement around a good community is very vague so I will gloss over that. The population of the province of BC is roughly 5 million and I’m sure you could find like minded people in most medium to big towns and cities here along any dimension - food, language, culture, religion, sports or any other mutual interests.
So I’ll focus on the other two points in the question and add a little bit of my commentary on what it’s been like living here. BC is a pretty large province, not as big as Ontario or Quebec but still pretty substantial, I think it’s Canada’s most unique province a bit of like what California is in the US. You have access to the Canadian Rockies along with the Costal Mountains, you have access to the Pacific Ocean. There are numerous local rivers and lakes of various sizes. So depending on what you like to do outdoors you can find it here.
As for the cost of living, unfortunately this is not lower than any other place in Canada in my opinion. The cost of living is pretty high in Canada and BC is on the higher side, there is a joke that the locals have, the acronym of BC is Bring Cash, lots of it. I’ve not personally lived in downtown Toronto, so I can’t really compare the two but assuming that the area of interest to you is the Lower Mainland aka the Greater Vancouver Area, you will find that costs are similar if not higher than Toronto. Realestate in this area is ridiculously expensive and has been for years even before the most recent Covid bull run. If purchasing a home is important to you then it’s worth rethinking if the Vancouver metro area is for you, other markets in BC are more affordable but still very expensive when compared to Alberta. The cost of fuel is the highest in the country, expect to pay 30-40% more for Gasoline, other fuel sources like natural gas or propane are more expensive than most provinces as there is a pretty substantial carbon tax added on in the province.
If the cost of living isn’t an issue, then I think the single biggest reason to move to BC is that it has the best winter weather in Canada by a large large margin over any other place. Now mind you, I’m not saying that the winter weather here is any good, it’s dull and gloomy and rains incessantly most of the time. But when you compare it to anywhere else in Canada it is extremely mild, there are a few snow storms over the course of winter but for the most part, you can go out with a light jacket. Now there are people who will tell you that you can enjoy winters in any part of the country with the right clothing etc and while I don’t disagree with them for me harsh winters are taxing. Specially with a young child at home, it is a blessing to be able to go out with them to a nearby park in the evening (you have to tolerate a drizzle from time to time). For me in bitter cold winters, my instinct is to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary and with a toddler who can’t tell you if they are feeling cold or where they are cold it becomes much easier to stay bundled up inside.
I’m not talking about the weather in the summer because almost every Canadian city has excellent summers and you could fall in love with any of the cities Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver or any other city in summer.
So yeah to summarize, BC is pretty damn expensive don’t move here expecting a low(er) cost of living but if you are outdoorsy and access to nature is important then BC is unparalleled in Canada. The moderating effect of the Pacific Ocean keeps the climate mild throughout the year, the winters don’t get miserably cold and the summers don’t get sweltering allowing you to access most activities year round.