Viewer Comments

Below are some of the many comments we have received from people who have seen Last Shift. If you would like to add your comments to this list, please contact us. We welcome your impressions.

"I found Last Shift to be a refreshingly honest documentary. The honesty came from the people interviewed in the documentary – mill workers who talked of the positive aspects (the social bonds, economic benefits, the fun they had together) – as well as the dependence on a single industry, which made the mill closure all the more difficult.

The film gave me a new insight into part of the lives of both my father and grandfather, and the community of Dalhousie itself. My grandfather was a Dalhousie resident from 1930-1970. He was a local blacksmith, then millwright from 1940s-1960s. My father was also a Dalhousie resident from 1930-1942, and a student labourer at the mill before WWII."

"Last Shift captures the essence of what the mill meant to so many families, so many workers, and so many in the community. Watching this film left me quiet and still, lost in memories of that unique noise the logs made as they fell off the conveyor in the yard late at night, the pungent smell of sulphur as I quickly scampered under that old gothic archway, and the otherworldliness of working in the groundwood. I instantly longed to be a kid again waiting for dad to walk down those stairs and tell us all about his day. Last Shift reminds me of Lucien and other works of social history that unfold at their own pace. Bravo, well done."

"Watching the film Last Shift was very nostalgic for me. I grew up thinking that all kids had access to artificial ice for hockey and curling. Had access to tennis courts and hunting and fishing camps on beautiful lakes for $1.00 to get through the gate with a CIP employees pass. Had access to Camp Chaleur, Athletic Directors (Jimmy Fox), etc. It was not until I left Dalhousie that I realized that most others I met did not grow up so fortunate. It was then I realized how much CIP contributed to all those perks.

Last Shift held my attention from the get go. It was a trip down memory lane. I knew some of the people interviewed and of course the stories. It was well done. A terrific job on the film, and thanks for taking the time to do this."

"This is history as if people and place mattered – a richly told visual and oral history of several generations of life in a New Brunswick working-class community, a story as contemporary as the achievements and frustrations of the past century of industrial life in the province. When we listen to the personal stories of men who worked in the mill, we share with them a growing recognition of the huge social and human investment at stake in building a successful community and what happens when communities lose control of their destiny."

"Last Shift captures the oft-told tale of towns in the Maritimes that suffer when their resource-based industry shuts down. But Last Shift is also a reminder that Dalhousie, the community of my birth, is very resilient. 'The Mill' may have held the town together economically for a long time, but the real glue is the town's sense of pride, its genuine hospitality, and its ability to move forward with hope and optimism. Great film, great history, great town!"

"A document as well as a documentary, Last Shift captures in contemporary interviews and archival photos and footage the stories and emotions of dedicated and loyal workers facing the shutdown of the mill that has been the dominant industry and primary employer in Dalhousie, New Brunswick, for eighty-four years. The film illustrates the mill's pervasive presence in the town, provides some stunning views of town and mill, and leaves the viewer sad and angry at the betrayal of the town by the mill owners and government who decline to pursue options that will keep the mill operating and the town alive."

"First, I want to thank you for the wonderful work that you put into the Dalhousie mill film. Without this film our history would be lost. I have not heard one negative remark about your film. I know through experience about the hard work it takes to finish such a project. Thank you again."

"Last Shift: The Story of a Mill Town is a valuable contribution to the history of modern New Brunswick. For more than seven decades Dalhousie's pulp and paper mill influenced not only the town but also the surrounding area. The film's evocative narrative is combined with a skillful blend of still images and interviews with former mill workers and other residents of Dalhousie. The film, which reveals the economic, social and cultural impact of heavy industry on a small town during the classic Fordist era, also documents what in many parts of Canada has become a vanishing way of life."

"I thoroughly enjoyed this film. To those involved with this production, 'thank you' for capturing the stories and reflections from the community which were soon to be lost forever. For me, this film conjured much nostalgia: of crisp winter air thick with the smell of sulphur, of mother's complaints about clean laundry hung to dry and soiled with coal soot, of the sounds of pulp wood dropping from the boom stacker on a calm summer night. How fortunate we were to have grown up in Dalhousie in the 1950s and 60s oblivious to the many influences the mill had on our lives."