Everything shuts down at 5pm and people move back to the suburbs after work. It's fairly dead downtown after rush hour. Finding a coffee shop open at 8 or 9pm? Very few of them.
Art isn't a priority here. Public art installations are ridiculed as a waste of money (though some are accepted over time). Museums and galleries here are minimal.
Music is sterile and many groups skip playing in Alberta. It has gotten better, but Alberta had a reputation for chasing away "immoral" acts in the 90s and 2000s.
Politics are toxic. The current government was elected under a cloud of electoral fraud, does not play well with the opposition and is laser-focused on oil and gas.
Alberta is designed for cars and public transit is a bolt-on, expensive afterthought. This isn't unique to Alberta but it doesn't help. We do have a growing set of bike lanes and support for that has surprised me pleasantly.
Alberta is rich from oil money and if you're in that club, life is good. If not, you're not important to the conversation.
I was lucky to spend a lot of time travelling to the Bay Area, Seattle and other places to see what culture a town could bring beyond "being close to the mountains". I really wish this place would focus on it, but at times it feels like the province is allergic and negatively responds to having any sort of culture.