While the police investigation into the death of a 19-year-old Walmart store employee in Nova Scotia has concluded, a workplace investigation remains active.
The woman, who died in an industrial oven in the bakery department on Oct. 19, had been identified as Gursimran Kaur in a GoFundMe campaign that was set up to support her family. She and her mother, whose name was not revealed, worked at the Walmart Supercenter in Halifax and were on the same shift when the incident happened on a Saturday evening.
The Halifax Regional Police announced Monday that the sudden death had not been determined to be suspicious and there is no evidence of foul play. Investigators met with the deceased’s family to share that update and to extend condolences. “The family asks the public to respect their privacy and the dignity and memory of their loved one, as they receive this news,” according to the HRP.
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Meanwhile, the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration has assumed the lead in the ongoing workplace investigation into the incident that occurred at the Walmart store at 6990 Mumford Road. A spokeswoman said Monday afternoon, “This remains an active investigation, and the department is unable to provide further details at this time. Workplace investigations are complex and take time.”
In addition, the stop work order that had been issued on the walk-in industrial oven and bakery area at Walmart’s Mumford Road store was lifted on Oct. 28, after the oven was assessed and determined to have been operating as per the manufacturer’s requirements.
Asked for comment about the investigations, a Walmart spokesperson said Monday, “As police have shared, foul play has been ruled out. Our deepest thoughts remain with the family and our associates, as they continue to grieve.”
The Halifax store, which was closed following the Oct. 19 incident, remains closed. The spokesperson said, “Our store remains closed as we complete the renovations that were already underway. We look forward to welcoming customers back to a remodeled store in the coming weeks.”
Following the teenager’s death last month, a GoFundMe page was established by the Maritime Sikh Society, a community that her mother is part of. That effort raised more than $138,700 for Kaur’s family and has since been completed. The raised funds have been handed over to her mother, according to the society’s secretary Balbir Singh. The society also has provided “a lot of psychological support” to the family and helped to arrange for visas for Kaur’s relatives, who live in India, he said. As a result, her father and brother have come to Halifax and two other relatives will be traveling to Nova Scotia in the next day or two, Singh said.
The Walmart spokesperson said, “We know this has been an incredibly difficult time for the associate’s family as they grieve. We continue to be in direct contact with them and have provided financial assistance.”
A funeral is expected to be held for Guar, who was cremated, most likely within a week, according to the society’s secretary. As reported, her mother was said to have become concerned when she had not seen her daughter for a while during their work shift and the teenager could not be reached on her phone. Her mother’s work status was not acknowledged Monday by the Walmart spokesperson.
