Alberta doesn't have a public insurer like BC — anything different for a brand-new driver here?

Same general advice as Ontario — you're comparing private insurers, and most will price you higher with no Canadian driving record. The one thing worth specifically asking each insurer/broker about: whether they'll give you any credit for a clean foreign driving record if you can get an official abstract/history letter from your home country's licensing authority. It's not automatic or consistently advertised, so you have to ask directly rather than assume it's factored in. /guides/car-insurance-by-province has the province-by-province picture.