Locksmith in Gloucester, from Blackburn Hamlet to Riverside South
The former City of Gloucester covers a wide stretch of Ottawa's south and east, from 1960s neighbourhoods to streets still being built. A locksmith in Gloucester works on all of them.

Gloucester at a glance
- Built
- From the 1960s to today
- People
- About 150,000 (2021)
- Homes
- Bungalows, split-levels, townhouses and new builds
- Common calls
- Rekeying, lockouts, car keys and fobs
- History
- Township 1850, city 1981, part of Ottawa since 2001
- Experience
- 10 years in the trade, Fully insured
Gloucester, from township to city to Ottawa
Gloucester began on the map in 1792 as Township B, laid out along the Rideau River, and was incorporated as a township in 1850. For more than a century it was mostly farmland and small communities south and east of Ottawa.
Suburban growth reached it after the Second World War, and Gloucester became a city in 1981. Twenty years later, in 2001, it was amalgamated into the new City of Ottawa. The area it covered is home to about 150,000 people today, according to the 2021 census.
Gloucester's neighbourhoods span the whole period. Blackburn Hamlet, where Costain began building in 1966 and the first residents moved in in 1967, sits inside the Greenbelt to the east. Beacon Hill, Rothwell Heights and Pineview date from the same era. To the south, Blossom Park, Leitrim, Findlay Creek and Riverside South have grown from the 1990s onward. The western part of Orleans was also in Gloucester, and has its own page: locksmith in Orleans.
Gloucester neighbourhoods and the locks on their doors
Patterns, not rules. The only way to know what is on a door is to look at it.
Cars, keys and theft in Gloucester
Gloucester is largely a driving community, with long distances between home, work and shopping, and the Ottawa airport sits within its old boundaries. That makes car keys and car security a big part of a locksmith's work here.
Ottawa Police figures reported by CTV counted 1,645 vehicle thefts in 2024 and about 1,488 in 2025. CAA warns that keyless relay theft is a known method: one thief stands near the house with a device that picks up the fob's signal through the wall, and another uses it to open and start the car in the driveway.
Simple habits make a difference. Keep fobs well away from the front door, use a signal-blocking pouch overnight, and if a key has gone missing, have it erased from the car. If you have lost your car key on a trip, with the car waiting in a lot, a new one can be cut and programmed where the car is parked. See car key replacement.
Protecting a car with keyless entry
- Fob location
- Not on a hook by the front door.
- Overnight
- A signal-blocking pouch or metal box.
- Lost keys
- Erased from the car when a new key is programmed.
- Visible deterrent
- A steering wheel lock still works.
Theft figures: Ottawa Police via CTV. Relay theft warning: CAA.
What Gloucester residents call a locksmith about
These are the jobs that come up most across the area.
Which car key do you have?
Tap the one that looks like yours. The type decides what a new one involves, and roughly what it costs.
Plain metal key
- What it is
- An all-metal key with no chip, on older vehicles.
- A spare from a working key
- Cut on a machine from your key, or from the code. The quickest job.
- Every key lost
- Cut from the vehicle code or by decoding the door lock.
Transponder key
- What it is
- A metal blade with a chip in a plastic head. The car will not start without the right chip.
- A spare from a working key
- Cut, then programmed to the car.
- Every key lost
- Cut from the code, then programmed through the diagnostic port.
Remote head key
- What it is
- Lock and unlock buttons built into the key head.
- A spare from a working key
- The key and the remote are both programmed.
- Every key lost
- Cut and programmed at the car, and lost keys erased.
Flip key
- What it is
- The blade folds into the fob at the press of a button.
- A spare from a working key
- Programmed to the car. A cracked shell or bent blade can often be replaced alone.
- Every key lost
- Made and programmed on site for most makes.
Smart key or proximity fob
- What it is
- For push-to-start cars that unlock as you walk up. A metal emergency key hides inside.
- A spare from a working key
- Programmed to the car, and the emergency blade cut to the door lock.
- Every key lost
- Programmed on site for most makes. A few newest models are dealer-only.
Bringing an older Gloucester house up to date
Many 1960s and 1970s houses still have a mix of original and replacement hardware. One visit sorts most of it out.
List every exterior door
Front, back, side, patio, garage entry and any detached garage or shed.
Keep what is good
A solid deadbolt of any age can be rekeyed. Worn or flimsy locks are replaced.
Put it all on one key
Swap a cylinder or two where the brands do not match.
Reinforce the frames
Older frames can be dry or split at the strike. A reinforcement plate and long screws fix that.
Secure the patio door
A bar or foot lock in the track of every sliding door.
Rentals and shared buildings
Pineview, Carson Grove and the areas around them have plenty of townhouse rentals and low-rise buildings.
Blackburn Hamlet: a 1960s plan inside the Greenbelt
Blackburn Hamlet sits on its own inside the Greenbelt, with green space on every side. Costain began building in 1966, and the first residents arrived in 1967. Its houses are now well over fifty years old, and most are on their fourth or fifth owner.
That history shows up on the doors. Over the decades, owners have replaced locks one at a time, often with whatever was on the hardware store shelf, so a single house can have a deadbolt from one maker, a handle set from another and a side door from a third. Bringing them onto one key may mean swapping a cylinder or two.
Many houses in the Hamlet back onto green space, which makes patio doors and back doors worth a closer look. A bar or a foot lock on every sliding door, and a proper deadbolt with a reinforced strike on every hinged door, are the usual upgrades a locksmith in Gloucester suggests.
New builds in Riverside South, Findlay Creek and Leitrim
The south end of Gloucester is still being built, and new homes have their own locksmith needs.
Gloucester winters and your locks
Cold, wind and road salt are hard on locks across the south and east end.
What locksmith work costs in Gloucester
You get a price on the phone after describing the job, confirmed before work starts. For car keys, have the year, make and model ready, because the key type is what decides the price.
For homes, the price depends on the number of locks and whether they are rekeyed or replaced. Older houses in Blackburn Hamlet or Beacon Hill, with mixed brands and older frames, take a little longer than new builds in Riverside South with matching hardware. Adding a deadbolt where there was none means drilling the door, which also adds time.
Night and weekend calls cost more than booked visits, and rural addresses at the edge of the city can carry a travel charge. You will hear about either before anyone drives over.
Questions people ask
Which areas of Gloucester do you cover?
All of it, including Blackburn Hamlet, Beacon Hill, Rothwell Heights, Pineview, Carson Grove, Blossom Park, Greenboro, Leitrim, Findlay Creek and Riverside South.
Can you make a car key in my driveway?
For most vehicles, yes. The key is cut and programmed where the car is parked, and missing keys can be erased from the car at the same time. You will need the registration and ID.
My older house has several different locks. Can it use one key?
Usually. Locks that share a keyway are rekeyed to one key, and any that do not are fitted with a matching cylinder.
Can you help if I am locked out of a rental?
If you are the tenant and can show the lease and ID, yes. If a landlord has changed the locks during your tenancy without giving you a key, contact the landlord and the Landlord and Tenant Board.
Do you cover the new subdivisions in the south end?
Yes, including Riverside South, Findlay Creek and Leitrim, where rekeying on possession day and keypad lock setup are common first calls.
Can you open my car at the airport parking lot?
Yes. Cars can be opened and keys made where the car is parked, including airport and long-term lots, as long as you can prove the car is yours.
My deadbolt only sticks in winter. Does it need replacing?
Usually not. Frost shifts the door frame so the bolt rubs on the strike. Adjusting or moving the strike plate normally fixes it for good, and the lock itself is fine.
Can you rekey a Blackburn Hamlet house with different brands of lock?
Yes. Locks that share a keyway are rekeyed to one key, and any that do not are fitted with a matching cylinder, so a single key opens every door.
Locksmith services and other areas
The Ottawa Locksmith works across the city. Start with the main page for a locksmith in Ottawa, or go straight to a service.
Tell us what is locked
613-820-5648Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
If you are locked out right now, call, day or night. For anything that can wait, send the form and you will get a call back with a price.