Canadian Rockies Public Schools says that funding reductions from Indigenous Services Canada have forced it to cut nearly half of the 306 seats that had been allocated for Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation students in 2025-26. The seats are funded through a trilateral agreement between ISC, CRPS, and Stoney Education Authority. CRPS Superintendent Christoper MacPhee told City News that ISC was only able to guarantee 50% funding for the upcoming year and did not provide any reasons for the change. Rocky Mountain Outlook reports that the CRPS’s board of trustees voted to reduce the number of seats to roughly 150 in September after receiving the news. The Stoney Education Authority told City News that it will accommodate any students unable to attend the public school board, though SEA Administrator Bill Shade explained that “for the most part our schools are at capacity.”
