Well not Eastern Ontario or Quebec-but try Niagara on the Lake or Elora and Fergus. Not much more then an hour from TO. Artsy-tourism, pretty areas. Maybe Orangeville, or Newmarket ...Kingston. Some of these are small cities and some small towns. More rural -Haliburton(School of Arts), Bancroft. Gananoque. Orillia, Coburg, Port Hope(that may ne nice). Merrickville, Lindsay. Variety of lifestyles, flavours, and distances. How often would you be needing into TO?
Others not needing to be close to TO might like Owen Sound, Bayfield.
Oh, hey, what about Stratford? Arty ,young, small, but not too small. Famous for the Stratford theatre. Pretty. Straight commute east into TO. Granted I have widened your searches but hey-worth checking out on the web!