Rs 1 Crore Raised For Family Of Indian-Origin Woman Who Died In Walmart’s Walk-In Oven In Canada
Gursimran Kaur and her mother had been working at the Walmart store for two years before the accident.
A fundraising campaign has collected over Rs 1 crore for Gursimran Kaur, an 19-year-old who died trapped in a walk-in oven at one of the supermarket chain’s Canadian outlets. The GoFundMe campaign for Gursimran’s family was coordinated by the Maritime Sikh Society. The fundraiser had kick-started at CAD 50,000 (Rs 60.78 lakhs) and was wrapped up within hours of commencement. The fund-raising campaign, with such tremendous support, has nearly doubled its target.
Gursimran had been working at the Halifax Walmart store with her mother. The GoFundMe page reported that on October 19, Gursimran’s mother couldn’t find Gursimran on the floor and approached the managers to have her daughter located. On finding her, she observed her lifeless body burned to death inside the walk-in oven of the bakery.
“It is still important to note that the cause and manner of death,” the police added.
The cause and manner of death has not yet been discovered.
Gursimran Kaur and her mother had worked at the Walmart involved in the case for two years prior to the accident. The family had moved to Canada from India nearly three years ago. Gursimran’s father and brother are still in India, and the Sikh Society is currently attempting to assist the family to immigrate “as soon as possible.”
The company spokesperson told Fortune that the store where Gursimran worked has been closed temporarily as the management fully cooperated with an investigation.
Balbir Singh, contact from the Maritime Sikh Society who is in touch with Gursimran’s mother, told CBC the loss hurts the local community and hopes that local police investigators can keep the community updated with their findings.
# What do we know about the investigation into Gursimran Kaur’s death?
Still, investigators continue to investigate the case of Gursimran Kaur, 19-year-old who was found in a walk-in oven at a Halifax Walmart. Of note, according to reports, Halifax Police are treating the case as “sudden death.” The police have yet to determine cause and manner of death and say their investigation is complex and might take some time, but so far, nothing new.
Gursimran’s mother found her son’s body after she became worried because he stopped responding during her shift. When she began making frantic calls to the store workers, they did not take much interest in searching for the missing boy. The community is coming forward to raise funds for the family, and counselling has also been provided to them in their time of grief.
# What is the local Sikh community doing for Gursimran Kaur’s family?
Halifax has the active support of Gursimran Kaur’s local Sikh community. A GoFundMe page established by the Maritime Sikh Society helped collect more than $130,000 to help defray funeral costs and fly her father and brother in from India. It achieved its target within hours as this outpouring has poured into the account with all this support coming in with little time having lapsed since the death occurred.
The society has also catered for counseling services of Gursimran’s mother and others that have been affected by the scenario, properly recognizing the pain the family has experienced. The community leaders have encouraged them to stand with the family in this moment of sorrow, aiming at offering emotional and financial support as they face this tragedy.
# How are Gursimran Kaur’s father and brother being informed about the situation in India?
Her father and brother are in India and keep hearing about the situation through the local Sikh community of Halifax. As far as Maritime Sikh Society is concerned, it has been very active in contacting them and has even made efforts to bring them to Canada for the funeral. They are also providing psychological support for this family during their ordeal. The community is availing timely updates and assistance to Kaur’s family as they navigate through this tragic loss, showing the commitment of the community to ensure that they support them in every way until the preliminary investigation and process of grieving.
# What kind of support are Gursimran Kaur’s father and brother getting from their community in India?
Gursimran Kaur’s father and brother get much-needed support from the community in India through the Maritime Sikh Society.
This organization has started a GoFundMe to raise over $130,000 to cover funeral costs and travel to bring them here for Gursimran’s last rites. They are also offering psychological counseling to the family so that they can cope with this loss. Efforts are being made so that they can be reunited with Gursimran’s mother at such a difficult time, thereby showing the community’s effort to support them in their tragedy.
# How did the community in India respond to the tragedy?
The community in India is responding in shock and support about the tragic loss of Gursimran Kaur. Local Sikh organizations are actively working to assist her family, particularly her father and brother who are still in India. Work done includes:
Fundraising Campaign: The Maritime Sikh Society has organized a GoFundMe campaign which collected considerable amounts to bear the funeral charges and to bring the family of Gursimran to Canada. The target was surpassed by leaps and bounds within a short period, showing the massive support of the community.
Psychological Counseling: The society has also organized psychological counseling for Kaur’s mother and other family members who were traumatized by this incident.
Community Cohesion: The Sikh community has grieved and pledged to stand with the family, and this is an expression of strength in grief.
In summary, the reaction is a collective endeavor toward emotional and financial standing in the support of the family in moving on from this tragedy.
READ ALSO: 15 Best places in Europe for a perfect family trip
READ ALSO: Top 15 best things to do in Seattle (2024)
#Are there any public memorials or tributes set for Gursimran Kaur in Canada?
To date, there are no publicly advertised monuments or tributes intended to be erected for Gursimran Kaur in Canada.
But a GoFundMe was organized by the local Sikh community, especially the Maritime Sikh Society, and was used to raise significant sums of money to pay funeral costs and to transport her father and brother from India. The community is also offering psychological counseling for her mother and has stated a commitment to standing by the family during this tragic time. More community-driven tributes may arise as they continue to process the loss. Is there any memorial service or ceremony planned for Gursimran Kaur. To date, there are no public memorial services or ceremonies that have been officially scheduled for Gursimran Kaur in Canada. However, the local Sikh community, especially the Maritime Sikh Society, has been very supportive of her family through a GoFundMe campaign which has raised vast amounts of money for funeral purposes as well as travel costs back to India for her father and brother.
The tragedy really hurts this community, and it might even organise informal memorial meetings or tributes as people grapple with their loss. Updates on memorials might be made available as developments come to light.
# What is Walmart doing to secure workers?
Walmart has undertaken a number of measures toward securing its employees, especially since the recent incidents:
Health Screening: Walmart takes temperatures of and carries out basic health screenings on all associates coming into work, which includes allowing associates with elevated temperature to go home on their pay until they are out of fever for three straight days .
Mourning Counseling: A day after the sad body of employee Gursimran Kaur was found; Walmart Canada is offering online care and counseling 24/7 to all its employees affected by the tragedy .
Safety Precautions: The company enhanced safety precautions in the retail shops like installing sneeze guards, encouraging social distance, and providing personal protection equipment which includes masks and gloves, and supplies were available .
Policies on Paid Leave: Walmart implemented a COVID-19 emergency leave policy that allows an employee to stay home if she is feeling sick or has concerns about having contracted the virus, thus ensuring job security in the event of a health crisis .
The processes show that Walmart is concerned with having all its employees at work in a healthy environment.
# How is Walmart’s COVID-19 emergency leave policy?
Walmart has a COVID-19 emergency leave policy to allow employees to take leave in certain situations related to the pandemic:
Self-Quarantine: They are allowed to stay home if they have uneasy or are enforced to quarantine with pay for up to two weeks without it counting against their attendance record.
Confirmed COVID-19 Diagnosis: If an employee is found to have the disease, they receive payment at 100% average pay for up to two weeks. If he or she cannot return to work after this, they receive more pay depending on medical certification, up to 26 weeks.
Protection at Work: The leave is job-protected for up to 52 weeks. If the employee returns, he or she will be returned to his or her original job.
This policy supports the employee at the workplace by keeping him or her safe during this pandemic period.
Hey, interesting article and really heartbreaking story. I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for Gursimran’s family. Kudos to the Sikh community for quickly rallying support. Just wondering, are there any updates on how the investigation is going? It’s strange that they haven’t figured out more yet, given that it seems pretty serious.