Halifax Walmart removes equipment after worker found dead

The commercial oven where a 19-year-old woman was found dead in a Halifax Walmart is being removed, the company has said.

The body of Gursimran Kaur, who was employed at the shop, was discovered there on 19 October.

A few days later, Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration placed a stop-work order on the bakery and a piece of equipment.

The order was lifted on the evening of Oct. 28 when “compliance was confirmed,” according to the department.

A statement from Walmart described the situation as “extremely sad and difficult.”

The company said the removal of the furnace had always been part of a standard retrofit program implemented across the country.

“Now that the stop-work order has been lifted by the Department of Labor, the furnace will be removed from this shop and will no longer be used,” the statement said.

The department said its investigation is ongoing but did not share further details. Its website says workplace investigations involving major accidents or deaths can take up to two years to complete.

Halifax Regional Police have no new information to share on the case.

Police have previously said their investigation is also complex, involves multiple partner agencies and could take a significant amount of time.

A memorial of flowers that stood outside the shop has been taken down.

Walmart has not said when the store will reopen.