EXSHAW, Alta. — A major cement producer in Alberta is adjusting its trucking schedules to help reduce the number of truck/wildlife collisions.

Lafarge’s Exshaw operation (located just east of Canmore) produces 1.2 million tonnes of cement per year, with 50 per cent of that delivered by truck. The company says it wants to find a way to reduce the number of accidents involving heavy trucks and animals such as deer, elk and grizzly bears. The company is working alongside the Word Wildlife Federation to track wildlife mortality rates.

The company is then prepared to adjust its trucking schedules accordingly.

"We might just have to change our practices and mining at certain times of the year," Gordie Miskow, a spokesman for the plant told local media. "It’s a new direction. We’re working on long-term sustainability rather than just emissions. The wildlife corridor it’s the number one issue in the valley."

However, some observers were skeptical the changes would make much of a difference.

Stephen Herrero, a grizzly bear expert had this to say: "It’s hard for the trucking industry to change their ways."