Ok, I would recommend, anywhere in this region:
Drumheller
Red Deer
and their is smaller communities on the highway from Calg. to Edm.
Strathmore is there.
How is Red Deer price wise? I think its ok.
Now, lets talk British Columbia. I am actually considering moving to BC. I have been to the province, oh, 18 times in my life. Got family there. So I have been to the Island, the city, the interior, the north, etc.
Island... to expensive (traveling back and forth to mainland)
Vancouver and Lower Mainland (VERY expensive, entire region)
Where I recommend for BC:
The area in black.
Hope, Kamloops, Kelowna, Salmon Arms, Merrit, Vernon, Penticton are all beautiful areas.
Hope is not near the ocean, and is about 3h-3h 30min drive to Vancouver, and is a nice beautiful community.
Kamloops is a valley city near a river, and is hot in the summer, and mild in the winter, and forest fires happen occasionally there. Your typical average city, beautiful landscape though, with the valleys and river banks.
Kelowna is about the same to Kamloops, but Kelowna has a big beautiful lake, the Okanaggon, which runs through the city and up and down the highway.
Merrit is another valley city, and is the "centre city", many travellers go through there, its on the way to Vancouver, Kelowna, Kamloops, etc. Merrit is more smaller scale then Kelowna or Kamloops but still a city.
Penticton, is a large town - small city, south of Kelowna, with beautiful landscape, and near the US border.
Vernon, is very similar to Penticton, just north of Kelowna though.
Salmon Arms is another beautiful average city. Salmon Arms is on another river and imo a beautiful community.
For pricing and you I would recommend for BC: Salmon Arms, Penticton, Vernon, Hope. They are not have all the conviences of a city but not with a huge population.
I think you would love British Columbia out of all the provinces in Canada.
So I say you should look a little closer to that province instead. The beauty of it is absolutely amazing.
Before you move, you should fly to Calgary, rent a car, and with your family go on a road trip through Alberta and British Columbia and see all the communities on your list.
So yeah, reserach the communities, confirm yourself a list, and fly here! Jump in a rental car, and drive and see the places for yourself, then after that you can make the choice of where, and then start looking at employment and housing.