Ted Grant Photographs Ottawa’s new ‘Meter Maids’ at Bank and Clarey

Just a quick share of the Glebe that we do not normally get to see. The photograph is part is an extensive collection taken by Ted Grant titled “Meter Maids.” After having observed examples from the United States, the Ottawa Police began to hire women into the force, largely to enforce parking regulations. The recruits had to be at least 5’5″ tall, in good health and unmarried. Unsurprisingly, they were not introduced without controversy. The first 21 recruits hit the streets on May 16, 1960 after a six-week training course.¹For more information about their introduction in Ottawa, see “Parking Meters Dubious Solution To Traffic Ills,” Ottawa Citizen, October 4, 1957, p. 7; “Meter Maids Will Check On Parking,” Ottawa Citizen, August 6, 1959, p. 2; “‘Meter Maids’,” Ottawa Journal, August 5, 1959, p. 1; “Pay For ‘Meter Maids’,” Ottawa Journal, February 13, 1960, p. 6; “Meter Maids Train April 1,” Ottawa Journal, March 24, 1960, p. 5; “‘Meter Maids’ Steal the Show,” Ottawa Journal, May 14, 1960, p. 2; “Meter Maids On Job,” Ottawa Journal, May 16, 1960, p. 1; Roger Appleton. “Ottawa Is Getting More Meter Maids,” Ottawa Citizen, August 6, 1960, p. 12; Paul M. Dunn and Pierre Dumais. “Meter Maids Get A ‘Defender’,” Ottawa Citizen, August 16, 1960, p. 3. It would, of course, be a longer journey for women to move from “meter maids” to “policewomen.”