A: In Alberta, a fixed-term tenancy is any tenancy with a stated end date. It can be a year, or a few weeks, or whatever else is agreed. At the end of the lease, neither party is required to give notice to end the tenancy. Although no notice is required, it is a generally expected courtesy the landlord and tenant will provide some notice of non-renewal.
I start all of my tenants with a 3-month trial lease "to be sure everyone is happy." It is for the tenant's benefit to ensure he likes the neighbourhood and neighbours (especially useful in up/down duplexes); it is for the other tenants' benefit (especially if they have been excellent tenants for years and I want to ensure their continued satisfaction); and it is for my benefit because I can choose to not renew the lease if things aren't working out the way they should.
As with periodic (month-to-month) tenancies, rent increases are allowed only after a minimum of 365 days since the last increase or since the start of tenancy. The differences in the case of fixed-term are: a) increases may not occur during the term of the fixed-term lease, and b) no notice is required to increase rent for the start of the new lease term.