“A young beautiful girl who came to Canada with big dreams” is how a 19-year-old Halifax Walmart employee is being remembered, as her friends and family struggle with the devastating details of her death.
The Maritime Sikh Society has identified the victim of last Saturday’s incident as Gursimran Kaur, with the permission of her mother.
Both mother and daughter had been working at the Walmart store on Mumford Road in the city’s west end for about two years.
It was her mother, according to the society, who found Kaur inside the store’s bakery department. Halifax Regional Police have confirmed the victim’s body was found in a walk-in oven.
“The community has been shocked by the whole incident and they feel for it and of course the immediate family is upset with the shock, they’re in a kind of a trauma,” said Harjit Seyan, the society’s president.
“We are really, really upset about the whole thing of course and really sorry to hear such a tragic event.”
According to the Maritime Sikh Society, Kaur and her mother had moved to Canada within the past three years and were originally from India. Her father and brother are still living in that country.
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“The Maritime Sikh Society has also arranged for psychological counseling for the family, for the people who are suffering and all that. So we are really with the family — talking to them,” said Sevan.
The society has also set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for funeral expenses, and to bring family members here for last rites. It surpassed its $50,000 goal in 10 hours, and as of 11:30 a.m. Thursday has raised nearly $84,000.
Investigation ongoing, store remains closed
The investigation into Kaur’s death continues, and involves police, the province’s labour department and the medical examiner’s office.
First responders were called to the store at around 9:30 p.m. last Saturday for a report of a “sudden death.” The store was evacuated and has remained closed since.
Halifax Regional Police confirmed a few days later the employee had been found in a walk-in oven.
A spokeswoman for the province’s labour department said a stop-work order had been issued for the bakery and “one piece of equipment” at the Walmart store.
Walk-in ovens, also referred to as cabinet or batch ovens, allow for curing, drying or baking in batches using wheeled racks or carts. They are often found in large-volume bakeries in places such as supermarkets and big-box stores.
In a statement, Walmart Canada said the company is heartbroken and their thoughts are with the woman’s family. They directed all further questions to police, and added that 24/7 virtual care and grief counselling was being made available to staff.
The company also confirmed to Global News that employees will continue to be paid for shifts during the store’s closure in Halifax, but will consider “alternate work arrangements” if the store has to be closed for a “longer-than-anticipated period of time.”
— with files from The Canadian Press and Global News’ Gabby Rodrigues
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