Jim Loney 'very much' alive, safe release expected

Sault Ste. Marie's Jim Loney and three other kidnapped members of Christian Peacemaker Teams are "very much alive," Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay says.

Sault Ste. Marie's Jim Loney and three other kidnapped members of Christian Peacemaker Teams are "very much alive," Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay says.

Today's edition of the Toronto Star quotes MacKay as saying that "the most up-to-date information we have leads us to believe that there will be — and we remain very optimistic — a safe release of these individuals.

"We are pursuing all means, with our allies, to be helpful and supportive to ensure their safe return and release," Mackay said.

"The most recent information leads us to believe they have, on a number of occasions, been moved from one location to another. We remain very optimistic about their well-being."

Loney, a 41-year-old former Saultite, was kidnapped in late November along with 32-year-old Singh Sooden, formerly of Montreal, American Tom Fox, 54, and Norman Kember, 74, from the United Kingdom.