A spectacular swath of mountains, glaciers and forests once proposed for a ski resort is being turned over to the First Nations people who have lived there for centuries.

The Supreme Court of Canada says approval of a ski resort in a region held sacred by Indigenous people does not violate their constitutional right to freedom of religion.

A pristine region in southeastern British Columbia known to the local First Nation as Qat'muk, the place where "grizzly bear spirits" gather, would be profoundly transformed if a $450-million year-round ski resort is built. For that reason, a lawyer for the Ktunaxa Nation told a B.C. Supreme Court judge on Monday that the Jumbo Glacier Resort cannot be allowed to go ahead.