The Women of Canada’s “Sin City” During WWII
The face of prostitution past: Smothered in lipstick and rouge, photos of the working girls who were cashing in on Canada’s ‘Sin City’ in WWII have surfaced.
Montreal was known as the s-x tourism capital of North America during the years of Prohibition.
Recently unearthed mug shots from the Archives de la Ville de Montreal show the women who were arrested for prostitution and the madams who were handcuffed for keeping brothels – a common occurrence in the Canadian province then known as a place of debauchery.
Debauchery: An extreme indulgence in sensual pleasures
The end of Prohibition as well as a rise in s-xually transmitted disease saw police enforcing a crackdown on the prostitution industry.
Anna Labelle, aka Mme Émile Beauchamp, the most powerful madam in Montreal during the WWII. She would drive to the courthouse in a Cadillac wearing mink. Her clients were often from the same police force that busted her.
Annie Parker, arrested in 1941 in connection with an investigation in connection with prostitution.
Zumba Instructor Gets Jail Time
Wright, 29, was arrested for running a prostitution business out of her Pura Vida Zumba studio in Kennebunk.
Mark Strong, a 57-year-old Thomaston businessman was also arrested following a raid on Feb. 12, 2012.
The high-profile prostitution scandal featured sex videos, adultery, exhibitionism involving more than 100 client.
Wright was accused of conspiring with insurance business owner Mark Strong to run a prostitution business in which she videotaped clients without their knowledge and kept detailed records over an 18-month period indicating she made $150,000 tax-free. Read more here
Leave a Reply