Luciano Minisini-Burke

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The Vaudreuil-Dorion Walmart on de la Gare Boulevard is set to re-open May 16 following an alleged arson attack that took place last February, forcing the department store to shut down for major repairs. On February 20, shortly after opening its doors to the public, shoppers and employees were evacuated after a fire broke out near the BBQ sale section of the store. One person was treated for smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported.

Luciano Minisini-Burke was arrested by Quebec provincial police officers shortly after the fire was reported. After undergoing a psychological evaluation at the Phillippe-Pinel institute, he was deemed fit to stand trial.

Walmart Canada has worked diligently to ensure the reopening of the store and took an optimistic approach by using the opportunity to coordinate the restoration work with other renovations that were originally planned to expand the grocery department at a later date.The store will undergo an inspection by Montreal’s authority on sanitary and safety conditions, MAPAQ, prior to the opening date.

As the warehouse starts taking in orders for restock items, Walmart employees will restock the shelves while continuing efforts to clean up in order to welcome shoppers as of mid-May. This is not the first time the store needed to undergo a major clean up and renovations due to arson. A similar incident took place at the same location in October 2020. n