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 The History of Locksmithing In Alberta
The following is an excerpt from one of the Locksmith Apprenticeship Program's CBAT modules (Module A-3: Introduction to the Locksmith industry).
As the population grew in Alberta, requirements for locks and keys increased. Forts such as Fort Edmonton used hand-made padlocks, operated by large Bit or Barrel keys, to secure chests and doors. Some of these old locks can be seen today in museums such as Fort Edmonton Park, Heritage Park in Calgary, and the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village east of Edmonton. Early locksmithing requirements in Alberta were carried out on an as-required basis by Carpenters and Blacksmiths.
The first known locksmith shop in Alberta was located in Edmonton, circa 1903. The shop was located on the second floor of a building on Jasper Ave. and 100A Street, present-day site of the Scotia Place Building. The name of that locksmith is not known.
In 1911, Heads Lock & Key was founded in Calgary by Percival Head. His main work was blacksmithing, general repairs and gunsmithing. Percival had three sons: Morris, Ken and Cecil. Around 1945, Cecil moved to Red Deer and started Red Deer Lock & Key. Morris and Ken Head continued to operate Heads in Calgary following the death of their father. It is interesting to note that Heads Lock & Key played a big part in the World War II war effort by manufacturing large gun barrels for use by the Army and Navy.
After changing ownership in 1976, and again in 1986, Heads Lock & Key is still operating today, with 10 employees and 5 service vans.
Henry Esau purchased a saw-sharpening shop next to Calgary City Hall in 1964. His shop space measured about 20' X 20' and featured a large water heater in the center, with a customer entrance off the alley. This shop eventually became Ideal Security, and was later sold to Parry Bros. Lock & Safe, which had also been founded in the mid-60's. In 1964, Henry Esau's only competition was Heads and Chubb. By contrast, there were over 65 Locksmiths listed in the 1994 Calgary Yellow Pages.
Red Deer Lock & Key blossomed into a growing concern which thrived for 30 years. Eventually located across from Red Deer's present-day main library, it sold and repaired locks and keys, bicycles, guns, motorcycles, lawn mowers, sporting goods, and fishing tackle. After a series of ownership changes in the early 1970's, the gun department was closed, rather than compete with departed employee Emile Hermary's fledgling shop, Emile of Many Guns. The Locksmith portion of Red Deer Lock & Key also separated in a settlement with junior partner Russ Stakiw, who formed The Key Hole, which still operates today. Emile's also featured Locksmithing services, and the Locksmith portion was later purchased from Emile by his son, Cyril, who formed Red Deer Lock & Safe.
Lethbridge was served in the early days by Dan Morrison, operating Dan's Repair shop. Dan's repaired bicycles, guns, locks and any other mechanical equipment, starting around 1931. In 1960 George Ramage operated Dan's Repair Shop, now called Dan's Lock and Key. Dan's is still operating today.
In Edmonton, lock and key requirements were handled initially by cycle shops and Blacksmith shops. In 1937, Joel Lipsett moved to Edmonton from Prince Albert, Sask. He started Joel's Mechanical Shop in Edmonton and operated it from 1937 to 1952. Assisted by his wife Vera, Joel worked very hard, as times were difficult and money was not easy to earn. Joel repaired scales, cash registers, safes, locks and door closers and really anything of mechanical operation which no one else wanted to tackle. At times, Vera would load the babies into a baby carriage and go bill collecting in order to buy supper. Joel was apparently not good with finances. He was very talented with anything mechanical. If a part was not available - and many times parts could not be obtained - he would make the part he needed. His customers included: Banks, Businesses, and Armed Forces - both in Canada and U.S.A.. A favourite anecdote about Joel is that one time he was called to a U.S. air base to open a safe which contained top secret bomb sights. As the story goes, the combination to the safe had been written on the office wall in an encrypted form. The office was later re- painted, erasing the encoded combination forever, and no one could remember it. Joel remarked that, as soon as he opened the safe, an officer covered his eyes and lead him away - as he was not to see the top secret information. Joel passed away in 1951 following an illness which lasted about a year.
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 Robert Lang "apprenticed" under Joel Lipsett from 1947 to 1949, when he went to work for the Edmonton Public School Board, opening their Locksmithing Department. At that time EPSB had 53 schools. During this time he also assisted at Joel's Mechanical Shop while Joel Lipsett was ill. Following Joel's death in 1952 , Robert purchased the assets of Joel's Mechanical Shop and continued to operate under the same name. There were other shops in Edmonton providing some Locksmith requirements; all of them cycle and sporting shops. Some of the more familiar names in the business were Clegg Case Ltd., and Uncle Ben's Sport & Hunting Equipment. Clegg Case Ltd. liquidated in the spring of 1960. Having recently moved to Edmonton from Winnipeg, Adam Robertson purchased the Locksmith shop portion of the store for $1,400.00, and opened Western Lock & Key at 9920 Jasper Ave. Western Lock has since moved to the south side, and is still a major Locksmith shop in Edmonton.
In 1954 Robert Lang was joined by two partners, Robert Hume and Robert Catteral, and Joel's Mechanical Shop became Joel's Locksmiths Ltd. It was sold in 1965 to Chubb, Mosler, & Taylor Safes Ltd. of Brampton, Ontario. Robert Lang remained in Edmonton as Service Manager for Chubb until 1970, when he opened Lang Locksmiths Ltd. in Grande Prairie, Alberta with John Boer as partner and manager. In 1973, Robert opened Lang Locksmiths Ltd. in Edmonton. Both Lang shops are still open today.
The formation of the Alberta Locksmiths Association was initiated by a small group of people assembled by Robert Lang and Chuck Parry, a partner with his brother Wayne in Parry Bros. Lock and Safe of Calgary.
While attending an Associated Locksmiths of America Convention in Minneapolis, the two agreed that an Association was needed in Alberta to draw Locksmiths together for mutual benefits and training. At this time the Alberta Government was considering regulating all persons within the security industry, including locksmiths. It was felt that the Locksmiths of Alberta needed to be a strong united group which could advise the Government regarding matters concerning Locksmithing and physical security.
In 1976, the first planning meeting was held in Red Deer to form the new Alberta Locksmiths Association. Herb McKinnon, who had earlier begun work forming an Edmonton association, became the first president of the ALA. The ALA's primary focus at the time was a proposed legislation which intended to regulate all persons in the security industry; Locksmiths, Security guards, Alarm technicians, and Guard dog handlers. The ALA felt that this was the wrong direction, and that Locksmiths should be not only regulated separately from other disciplines, but educated in such a way that could be recognized by the general public.
The association grew with support from almost all Alberta Locksmiths, holding its first Convention in Red Deer in 1979. The ALA succeeded in lobbying the Alberta government to certify Locksmithing as a trade, and thereby commit itself to an apprenticeship program. Trade certification was designated in November, 1989, and the trade was officially launched in January, 1993.
Renamed the Professional Locksmiths Association of Alberta in 1991, the PLAA now boasts over 300 members from Alberta and other provinces and states. The PLAA continues its support of the apprenticeship program today.
Objective 1 of this module is entitled "The History of Locksmithing". It is available for download in PDF format for use with the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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