Oven to be removed from Halifax store where employee died: Walmart

Walmart says a large bakery oven will be removed from the Halifax store where an employee died last month.

Halifax Regional Police responded to a sudden death at the Walmart on Mumford Road around 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 19. They confirmed a woman’s body was found inside a large walk-in oven in the store’s bakery department.

The woman has been identified as 19-year-old Gursimran Kaur, who worked at the store.

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Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour issued a stop-work order for the bakery after the incident. That order was lifted last week after officials determined the store had complied with safety standards.

A spokesperson for Walmart Canada says the oven will be removed from the store and will no longer be used. She also says the company had already planned to remove the oven before the incident.

“This is an extremely sad and difficult situation,” said Amanda Moss in an email to CTV News. “Removing the oven had always been part of the standard remodel program we are implementing across the country.”

Store remains closed

The Walmart on Mumford Road has remained closed since Kaur’s death. There is no word on when it might reopen.

Walmart has said the company is supporting police in their investigation and “working towards understanding how this tragic event occurred.”

Meanwhile, police remain tightlipped about the investigation into Kaur’s death.

"What I can tell you is that the investigation is still ongoing and our investigators are still working diligently on this matter," said Const. Martin Cromwell in an email to CTV News.

"At this moment, we do not have any further updates or details to provide the public."

The Maritime Sikh Society says Kaur and her mother moved to Nova Scotia from India about three years ago.

Balbir Singh, secretary of the society, previously told CTV News that Kaur’s mother, who also worked at the store, found her daughter inside the oven that night. He said she grew concerned after she hadn’t seen her daughter for more than an hour and couldn’t reach her by phone.

Show of support

There has been an outpouring of support for the family since Kaur’s death. Hundreds of mourners attended a candlelight vigil in the parking lot outside the store Sunday night. Many held signs and lit candles to pay their respects to the young woman.

Close to $200,000 has also been raised through a GoFundMe page started by the Maritime Sikh Society.

The society says the funds are helping the family with funeral expenses and costs associated with bringing her family over from India. CTV News has learned Kaur's brother and father are now in the province.