Hall’s family backs policy not to pay ransom

OTTAWA • Relatives of a Canadian man slain by militants in the Philippines say they agree with Canada’s policy of not paying ransom for hostages.

Robert Hall, an adventurous nomad in his late 60s who called his new home a paradise on earth, was captured by a militant group called Abu Sayyaf in September 2015 and was beheaded this week after a deadline for a ransom payment passed.

Hall’s family said in a statement every option to free him was considered and efforts to that end were “vast and exhaustive.”

The family says it agrees with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s directive that money not be paid to hostage takers who seek to undermine fundamental Canadian values.

“Our family, even in our darkest hour, agrees wholeheartedly with Canada’s policy of not paying ransom to those who would seek to undermine the fundamental values with which my father lived his life,” the statement read.

“We stand with the ideals that built this country: strength of character; resilience of spirit; and refusal to succumb to the demands of the wretched, in order to satisfy the blood lust of the weak.”

The family says it will remember Hall as a self-made man who worked his entire life to raise his family above the hardships of his own youth.

Hall was born in Calgary, but lived in various places in Western Canada.

His family says he owned and operated many small businesses in his life, from a small engine repair shop to a pizza stand. He spent 25 years building his custom welding business, which specialized in everything from custom truck decks to aircraft repair.

“A romantic to the very core, Robert believed in controlling his own destiny, and that hard work and a desire to succeed were the two main ingredients to any successful endeavour,” the statement read. “He has been described as a dreamer, which he certainly was, but more than that he was an achiever. He didn’t sit around and dream about sailing the world; he got up and did it.”

They said he eventually moved out west and started living on a boat while pursuing part-time acting jobs, joking that he was “only a marlin trophy away from the full Hemingway.”

Outside of business he had a passion for flying, sailing and sports.

While sailing and travelling around the world, Hall landed in the Philippines a couple of years ago. He told his family that the country’s people were warm and gracious, its weather mild and that the port city of Davao, where he lived, was renowned for its safety.

Hall’s beheading has been confirmed by the government of the Philippines, which called it a “brutal and senseless murder.”

A militant video obtained by Philippine police officials showed Hall in an orange shirt and kneeling in front of a black Islamic State-style flag before he was killed.