unfortunately Calgary's light pollution extends out pretty far, it's like this giant bubble of orange that obscures the true night sky far beyond city limits. even at the Rothney observatory near Priddis (everyone should visit their open house/stargazing nights btw) Calgary's brightness takes away a great deal of details, especially diffuse glow things like the Milky Way or various other galaxies and nebulae.
I have seen the Milky Way band camping near Sundre though, so Alberta does have some good dark spots. The best I had ever seen is on a Mauna Kea tour, where many of the world's best observatories are located. even with tons of idiotic tourists using their vehicle high beams and flashlights and crap, the sky was filled out exactly like the OP's pictures. you can't even identify any constellations because they're lost in the chaos. if you ever see anything like it, you will forever hate the featureless night sky living in an urban area.
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