Awesome!
Okay, here's what you should know.
Phone companies - probably Rogers is the best cell phone company in Alberta. My family has had Bell, Telus, and Rogers, and Rogers seems to be better by far. Better customer service and coverage. But you should know that cell phone plans are generally crappier than they are in the States and usually do not include things like free nationwide long distance.
Netflix - Netflix Canada only has video on demand, so you can't get actual DVDs sent to you. But the on demand selection is not bad, and it's only $7.99 a month.
Doctor Who - Heck yes! New series are usually shown on CBC, and there are reruns on the Space channel (which is pretty standard in cable packages) all the time.
Metric system - It's uses formally, but people are still kind of pissed off about it and it hasn't entirely infiltrated the public consciousness. So you'll find a mixture. Speed limits are in km/hr, and driver's licenses will have your weight in kg and your height in cm. But if you ask someone how far away something is, they'll probably tell you in miles or yards. And people will talk about their heights and weights in pounds and feet. Temperature can go either way. The news will report it in Celsius, but if you say a temperature in Fahrenheit, no one will look at you funny, especially if they're older than about 60. Those signs in front of banks that tell the time and then the temperature usually have both.
Food you should eat - Royal pizza in Edmonton is awesome. We always used to go there all the time (well, when we visited Edmonton) back when we could eat wheat. If you like chicken and/or ribs, go to Swiss Chalet. It's a national chain of what my Texan friend that I've introduced to it would call "barbecue". But it's really good. Also, McDonalds has slightly different menu items as it does in the US, and they have really good salads here. Tim Hortons is a really big deal. It's like the Starbucks of Canada (but we do have Starbucks). Except the only non-coffee drink (other than juice) they have is hot chocolate and hot smoothies, which are like hot chocolate only they're caramel, butterscotch, or hazelnut flavored. But they have decent (but expensive) sandwiches, chili, soup, doughnuts, and all kinds of baked goods. My tiny school that fits in one city block has not one but two Tim Hortons. My favorite grocery store is Superstore. They have really interesting store brand stuff (called President's Choice) and usually the best prices. Sobeys is also good. Safeway is good, but definitely more expensive. Oh, and cheese comes in weird-shaped blocks here for some reason (usually). But Alberta does not have milk in plastic bags like the Eastern half of the country does. We have Wendy's, Taco Bell, Burger King, Taco Time, A&W, Dairy Queen, New York Fries, Manchu Wok, and lots of little sushi places. And donairs and poutine. I'm not a fan of either, but people will tell you you have to try them.
Sales tax - 5% in Alberta, but food has no sales tax. There's a 5% federal sales tax, and some provinces have provincial sales tax on top of that, but Alberta does not. One of many things that pisses off the rest of the country. Provinces are pretty autonomous, and people see Alberta as being really rich and having all this stuff that they don't have. Which isn't exactly true, but whatever.
Winter - Edmonton will definitely get REALLY COLD! Like all of those stereotypical things you hear about Canada that mainly aren't true actually are true in Edmonton in the winter. You will need boots and a long and warm coat and mittens. Mittens are warmer than gloves. If you do ever get frostbite (don't be too worried, because it's not that common and I've never actually had it), DON'T RUB SNOW ON IT! People will tell you to, but rubbing it is actually really dangerous and can cause permanent damage. Here's what you should do:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/oax/safety/frostbite.php Once it gets down below about -20 C, frostbite becomes a concern if you're out long enough, but if everything is covered up you should be fine. If it's below -40, you have a good excuse to just stay home for the day.
Plugging in your car: People do this in the winter so their batteries don't freeze. Underground parking garages (which are called Parkades) even usually have posts with outlets. If you have a garage, you don't need to worry about it. But if your car is going to be parked outside, it might be an issue. I don't know how you get a plug on a car that doesn't already have one, but maybe talk to a mechanic once you're here.
The Queen (whom I call the Quing, which is a word my dad made up when realized God Save the Queen doesn't rhyme when you put in Queen instead of King) - She's technically the head of state of Canada and every other commonwealth country, but she has no real power. We have a Governor General, who's supposed to the Queen's representative, but s/he also only has ceremonial power. You'll find people, especially in Alberta, who are very anti-monarchy. Which brings me to...
Government and Politics: We have about 5 main political parties - The conservatives, liberals, NDP (stands for New Democratic Party - pretty similar to the liberals), the Green party, and the Bloc Quebecois (only in federal politics). In Alberta, the conservatives have been in power since before I was born. If you want to discuss politics with people in Alberta, you should read the following for background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Klein,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Stelmach,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Duckett, and then once you've read about Duckett, watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DxeCK5Ne_Q The whole cookie incident is talked about all the time, and I could go on and on for hours about politics and healthcare, but those are just some basic background so you'll know what people are talking about. My parents are involved in politics and healthcare (from the administrative side) and my dad actually knows Stephen Duckett, and says he's not as callous and incompetent as people would have you believe. Anyway, it's a mess, but there are a lot of "I'm eating my cookie" jokes, so now you know where they come from. Oh, and you should also read about these people, who are trying to overthrow the conservatives:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildrose_A ... of_Alberta Alberta is pretty conservative, and some of us who are not conservatives will actually join the conservative party so we can vote on who their leader will be, because we know that whoever it is will end up being in charge.
Healthcare: Is not the nightmare that people would have you believe it is. There are issues with ER wait times and there's a big family doctor shortage in Alberta. The situation is much better in other provinces (healthcare is something that's completely run by the provinces, and the federal government has no say in it unless they're breaking a law, so there's a lot of variation on the general theme). The last government screwed a lot of things up. But contrary to popular belief, doctors do not work for the government. Most hospitals get funding from the government, but usually from other sources as well. But doctors are independent business people (well, they might work for the student health center if you get a family doctor at school, but they aren't employees of the government). What the government does run is the health insurance. Just the basic health insurance, which pays for everything but drugs, optometry, dentistry, ambulances, and most cosmetic procedures. Most people have supplemental health insurance to pay for drugs and stuff. You can get that from the government at very discounted rates if you're poor, but I have it through school and most people have it through work. But Alberta health insurance, which I think you will be eligible for after living in Alberta for a year, pays for doctor visits, surgical procedures, midwifery (yes, which is awesome), etc. You can go to any doctor you want. You don't have to get things preapproved. It just pays for it. All of it. If you go to the ER, they're not going to call the insurance company. You don't have to worry if they'll cover a test or procedure - if your doctor says you need it, it's covered. If you have any questions about healthcare, ask, because I can give you a lot of information. And the UofA will probably have a health plan for international students that you can get until you're eligible for Alberta health.
The Church: Alberta's pretty full of Mormons. Not like Utah. Probably more like California. Edmonton has a temple and multiple stakes, and everyone there knows my mom. She joined the church in Edmonton back in the 50s. There will be tons of institute classes and tons of singles (or mid-singles, if you're in that age group) things you can go to if you're into that sort of thing.
Bookstores: The big bookstore in Canada is called Chapters. But if you're buying books online, Amazon.ca has better prices and selection than Chapters.ca.
Stores in general: We have Old Navy, the Gap, H&M, Sears, The Bay (a big dept store that used to be a fur trading company), La Senza is the equivalent of Victoria's secret, The Body Shop, Bath and Body Works, Lush (best bath stuff ever - you must check out Lush if you've never been to one). No Dillard's or JC Penney. No Target, but apparently we're getting Target soon. Yes Walmart. No KMart. Yes Toys-R-Us. And sometimes malls have big grocery stores in them, which freaked out one of my friends when we were in Victoria. Don't be afraid.
Movies - Always come out at the same time here that they do in the US. Same deal - movies are expensive, then you spend a thousand dollars for popcorn.
That's all I can think of right now, but let me know if you think of any other questions!