I don't doubt that all. It's only my own personal experience, but lately I can't count the number of people I've come across who are looking into moving to Calgary. I seems to be a few different things but the cost of buying a pl;ace in Vancouver, Ottawa, and Toronto, etc... has become prohibitive.You're dead on on about Montreal and it's similar for Ottawa. If you're not bilingual in Ottawa, your options are very limited these days. Years back you had a booming tech industry in Ottawa where you didn't need to be bilingual, but these days the jobs are mostly government jobs, and in Ottawa you can't go far unless you're bilingual.I fit into that 18-34 range, with most of my friends and professional connections coming from outside of Alberta - most young people I know would eagerly move to Calgary if the opportunity arose, a few already have, and a few more are currently planning it.
The general consensus is that living in Toronto or Vancouver is prohibitively expensive unless both you and a partner live together with a substantial subsidy from parents. Additionally, the Montreal job market is full of obstacles if you're an anglophone. Calgary is the logical conclusion. However, political inclinations are the most significant deterrent (thanks Kenny), with "comparatively affordable housing and the blue water of Lake Louise" being the definitive counter-argument.
I'm anticipating a large influx of young professionals moving to Calgary, mostly because it's already happening. Remote work has certainly enabled this trend.
Another thing is the economy seems to be picking up here. It's not booming but it's more stable and employment seems to be picking up. Calgary and Alberta still have that right wing conservative reputation, but it is slowly starting to melt away.
I'm bullish about the future here.