ENERGY BOSS PAID LINDHOUT RANSOM

Praises Allan Markin for saving her life

For the first time, former hostage Amanda Lindhout has revealed who paid the bulk of the $1-million ransom that won her release from her captors in Somalia nine years ago.

Lindhout, a former freelance journalist who made international headlines after being kidnapped in Somalia on Aug. 23, 2008, was partway through her 45-minute speech to a crowd of 270 people at the Mustard Seed Street Ministry’s Diamond in the Rough fundraising gala, when she broke the secret long speculated about in Alberta.

“All those months in Somalia, the scary thought to me was that human beings were at their essence, not kind, that the world was this scary dark place and then I came out and I learned that my freedom was possible because a ransom had been paid — and it wasn’t because my family had the money for that. They, of course, gave the little bit that they had — but generous strangers, who wanted to see me home in Canada, some of whom are here today, saved my life.”

At that, Lindhout turned to her right and looked directly at energy magnate Allan Markin and his wife, Patricia, and said: “Allan Markin is sitting here today, but I wouldn’t be alive, Allan, if it wasn’t for you, so thank you. Thank you so much.”

She was crying, the Markins were crying — everyone was crying — soundlessly. It was an incredible moment, sublime and transcendent.

“I should have died many times, but here I am,” she said.

The crowd looked upon the willowy, courageous 37-year-old and came to the realization that she wouldn’t be standing there on that stage on Saturday, looking like a glamorous runway model in a long gown with a brutal, and yet oddly uplifting story of resilience and forgiveness, were it not for a hero who has tried to keep his generosity secret for coming on nine years.

Reached Monday, Markin reluctantly answered questions about what he did for Lindhout.

“I’m just so humbled and grateful that Amanda is alive,” the 72-year-old philanthropist said. “But you know, I’m nobody in particular,” he added.

Markin acknowledged that he cut a cheque for $750,000, “back at a time when I had too much money,” to ensure Lindhout’s release from 460 days of captivity that included almost daily rapes from multiple captors.

Markin says he got in- volved after he was called by another pillar of Calgary’s business community, Steve Allan.

When pressed, Markin added that he came to know and care for Lindhout in the years since her release, and paid for her tuition to attend a university program at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia on how to conduct international work.

Lindhout, whose book, A House in the Sky: A Memoir, has been a best-seller for five years since its release in 2013, says, learning that strangers paid her ransom “transformed things for me. It helped me to accept the truth that it was a small group of people doing bad things, more than it was a reflection of the state of the world.”

After Lindhout received a standing ovation from the crowd, she sat at Markin’s table as Mustard Seed CEO Steve Wile thanked her and spoke of Markin, the recipient of the Mustard Seed’s Golden Dove Award for “exceptional support for the most vulnerable in our community.”

Markin, who co-founded Canadian Natural Resour- ces, is a co-owner of the Calgary Flames NHL team and now runs the vitamin and supplement not-for-profit, Pure North S’energy, to help people live healthy lives.

“Allan has given significantly to the Mustard Seed and our work over the years,” said Wile, whose voice cracked with emotion as he spoke.

Besides providing free vitamins and minerals to The Seed’s homeless population, he has also helped hundreds of clients get free dental care at a clinic run by Pure North “at significant cost to himself personally.”

Wile, who has been CEO for just over three years, shared a story about Markin that earned the philanthropist one of several standing ovations.

Wile says he was scheduled to meet Markin and some members of his Pure North team a couple of years ago at The Seed’s downtown offices. Markin arrived early and could overhear an allstaff meeting in a boardroom.

“I was sharing with the staff our next budget and one of the things we were committed to doing is that for a number of years our staff was really underpaid. It was a problem. It was an issue that we felt we needed to address, but to address it came at a significant cost. In fact, to take that first step, it was adding $800,000 to our budget,” said Wile.

“After we had our meeting together, Allan came up to me and he said, ‘You know, Steve, tell me about the salary problem.’ I told him about it and he said, ‘I’ll commit to paying half of that for the first year.’ On the spot. He demonstrated his heart for people,” said Wile.

Markin was humble during his public remarks on Saturday night.

“I’m actually a bit uncomfortable receiving this award, and that’s because the people who deserve recognition are the people who support the Mustard Seed, day-in and day out,” he said.

When Markin stepped off the stage, Lindhout hugged him and they wept in each other’s arms.

Patricia Markin just stood back and smiled before it was her turn to hug Lindhout.

“I’m so proud of Allan all the time,” she said. “Allan’s quiet miracles seek no recognition.” Except, now some of those miracles are known.