WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1981, PAGE 3 Oil deal was the best possible: Fenneli Scott The Ottawa-Albert energy deal that was signed last week was the best possible deal con- Negotiations between the Region of Durham and its 340 inside em- ployees are expected to resume sometime this week. According to the region's commissioner of personnel, Terry Stevens, talks between the egion and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) are set for tomorrow (September 10). The commissioner also said that the two sides have been meeting throughout the summer Fennel. sidering the circum- stances according to Ontario Riding MP Scott Fennell. and that contract language and admini- strative issues have been resolved for the most part. Tomorrow's talks will see the parties "dis- cussing each other's financial positions.... wages," Stevens added. A spokesman for CUPE Local 1764 agreed with the com- missioner's statements and said that both sides have agreed not to release details on the negotiations. "We're still talking," Crmuhed by falling rods.... Man killed in LA SCO accident A 26-year-old man was killed last week when he was crushed by a five-ton bundle of rein- forcing steel rods at Whitby's Lake Ontario Steel Company (LASCO) plant. According to the Durham Regional Police Force, David J. Maitland, of 596 Chaucer Ave., Oshawa, was pronounced dead at the scene last Wed- nesday night. Police said that the victîm was working in the steel mill's ware- house attempting to tie up a bundle of rods when another bundle rolled off the pile and crushed him. According to Dr. Allan Stock, the coroner responsible for the case, no decision has been made as to whether or not an inquest will be held. Pointing out that it is not mandatory to have an inquest into an indus- trial accident death, Stock said that he was waiting for the results of an investigation by police pnd Ontario Ministry of Labor offi- cials before making a decision. Their reports should be in some time this week, the coroner ad- ded. Fennell, a Pro- gressive Conservative backbencher, said that he was pleased that an agreement had finally been reached. "It's the best we could expect with those Liberal clowns," he said in an interview. According to Fennell, the best feature about the package - that will see the Canadian con- sumer paying about $5 for a gallon of gasoline by 1986 - is that it opens the way for new oil resources to be developed by Canadian companies. "The multinationals are taking a hammering in the agreement," he said. The Tory MP claims that the agreement is very close to the one put forward by party and Opposition Leader Joe Clark during the last federal election. "This agreement is very close to our propo- sai," Fennell said. "But our price increases the spokesman, Russ Whitney, said. "But until we reach a settlement or break off and need a conciliator, we agreed not to issue any statements on nego- tiations," he added. The region's inside workers presently earn an average of $17,000 a year under their old one- year contract that ex- pired on June 30. would have been at a much slower pace." The conservative plan called for the price of oil to rise by 18 cents a gallon over a three-year period. Fennell said that the provincial government should take another look at the percentage tax it. places on the price of oil, claiming that it "will hit the consumer a little too hard." However, he said that the price of gasoline un- der the agreement is not all that unreasonable. "It's not a bad price when you consider that England is paying $4.25 a gallon now." The agreement, signed in Ottawa last week by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, should also be a boost to the Canadian economy, Fennell said. The MP hopes that the new price of gasoline will urge consumers to purchase more fuel effi- cient cars - a move that would mean increased productivity to the ailing automotive in- dustry. A healthier auto sec- tor will mean that other industries, such as the steel industry, will also benefit. "It should produce a ripple effect in the economy," Fennell said adding that "it should also produce much fuller employment in Canada." Another positive ef- fect the agreement should have is to pro- duce a stronger Canadian dollar. Since our currency is backed by our resour- ces, a greater value on these resources should mean that more money will flow into the coun- try for investment pur- poses, Fennell claimed. "The odds are that the money flowing out of Canada will start to flow back in," he said. Fennell admitted that the only true winners in the deal - besides the oil companies - are the various levels of government. "They're taking about 70 per cent of the pie." The MP said that the agreement should result in the federal govern- ment taking in $14.7 billion more than they are taking in now and while it will have an im- pact on the inflation rate, interest rates should fall. Fennell is predicting that interest rates could be as low as 16 per cent a year from now. He gleefully accused the Liberal Party of breaking its campaign promise to create a "made-in-Canada" pri- ce for oi instead of the almost world level prices that are in effect under the agreement. "They broke it (their campaign promise) all over the place," Fennell said. "Trhey're just a bunchof liars....at least we declared our 18 cen- ts. They à id not tell the electorate the truth." The workers in this bargaining unit include clerical, secretarial and technical staff as well as daycare workers, plan- ners and surveyors. According to Stevens the salary ranges from a high of over $29,000 a year paid to senior economists and plan- ners to a low just over $10,000 a year paid to clerks as a starting rate. witha SUBARU The Surprising New 1981's NOW ON DISPLAY See it! Believe it! Our super gas savers are destined to be the cars of the decade' Corne. check out their luxurious designs. impressive m p g. and incredibly low sticker tags' They're everythtng fuel- wise cars should be and more' Talks scheduled tomorrow... Negotiations contmumg between Durham and CUPE