Nineteen-year-old Canadian Walmart employee Gursimran Kaur was identified as the teen found dead in the walk-in oven of the Walmart bakery on Mumford Road in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on October 19, 2024. Kaur, an Indian immigrant, moved to Canada from the United Kingdom with her mother three years ago. Kaur’s mother, who also worked at the Walmart discovered her daughter's remains in a walk-in oven.
The Sikh community is rallying behind Gursimran's family in the wake of the tragic incident. The Maritime Sikh Society initiated a GoFundMe campaign to render financial assistance to the teen’s family. According to the fundraiser, on the evening of October 19, Gursimran Kaur and her mother were both working at Walmart.
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Concerns were raised after Kaur’s mother could not locate her daughter in the store for an hour. She reportedly raised her concern to other employees, who assuaged her fears, saying her daughter might be preoccupied with a customer. However, Kaur’s mother continued to search for her daughter.
Her concerns were amplified after her daughter’s phone was unreachable. Shortly after reaching out to the onsite admin for help, Gursimran Kaur’s mother found her daughter inside the walk-in oven in the bakery after two hours. The fundraiser revealed the teen was burned to death. It is unclear how Kaur was trapped inside the oven for two hours. Law enforcement is reportedly investigating the case. The fundraiser said:
“The watchful mother who breathed for her child's happiness.”
Gursimran Kaur's father and brother reside in India
Gursimran Kaur’s GoFundMe revealed the teen and her mother were working in a Canadian Walmart for two years after moving to the country from the UK three years ago. Kaur's father and brother still reside in India. The funds raised will go toward covering the family’s travel costs and funeral expenses.
Thousands swarmed the page to offer support to the grieving family. In ten hours Gursimran Kaur’s GoFundMe achieved its target of $50,000 and in less than two days raised over $188,000. Overwhelmed with the response, the Maritime Sikh Society executive, who initiated the fundraiser expressed his gratitude for the support that poured in from across the world.
“We are receiving calls and messages from all over the world from people wanting to help. Respecting everyone's sentiment, we will keep the fundraiser open for now.”
Shortly after, the Sikh executive stated they were shutting down the fundraiser after raising four times the target amount. The fundraiser said:
“Target has been reached and we are grateful for everyone's kindness and generosity.”
He added:
“We are unable to pause the fundraiser ourselves for some reason so have requested GoFundMe to close it from their side. They are looking into it right at this time.”
As of October 25, the fundraiser is still accepting donations. Harjit Seyan, president of Canada’s Maritime Sikh Society, told Global News that the community is rattled by the tragic death of the teen. He noted that Gursimran’s Kaur’s family is traumatized by the incident.
"Immediate family is absolutely shocked.”’ Seyan added ‘They are in a kind of a trauma. We are really sorry to hear of such a tragic event."
The incident has raised questions about how the victim was trapped in the industrial oven after store sources cited in CBC News alleged the appliance at the Halifax store "did not lock."
Meanwhile, Halifax police officer Martin Cromwell, who described the investigation as ‘complex” added:
"We understand the public is involved, and we just wanted to encourage the public to be patient with our investigation and be mindful that there are family members and coworkers involved."
The cause and manner of death is under investigation.
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