Madam of the Maritimes

Here is the fascinating true story of how a poor girl from the Prairies rose above poverty and hardship to become the best known, and seemingly untouchable, madam in this country. Everyone from housewives to politicians knew her simply as Ada – the renowned madam of Canada’s most notorious brothel at 51 Hollis Street in Halifax.

For more than four decades, Ada Jane McCallum and the women known as her girls offered sex for sale to the local gentry and to thousands of sailors, soldiers, and merchant seamen from around the world as they passed through the port city.

Although she operated an illicit business, Ada was respected and earned a reputation as one who protected and treated her employees well, dealt with her clients with discretion and respect, and cultivated a remarkably tolerant relationship with the powers that be.

Madam of the Maritimes looks into McCallum’s entry into the bustling brothel business during the war years, her three short-lived marriages, and her challenges with the law and Revenue Canada. It provides a look at Ada as seen through the eyes of some who knew her – a prostitute who worked for her for five years, her Halifax hairdresser in the 1950s, a retired judge who sentenced her in his court, an adoring niece, a curious young reporter and an anonymous client. As Ada’s friend and Halifax journalist the late Doug Harkness once said, “She was part of our cultural life.”

This story is not about the legality or morality of prostitution. Instead, it is about a respected and generous woman of class and dignity who made a name for herself in the world’s oldest profession.