Photo: Contributed - BC Government - Flickr

Premier Christy Clark presented Ecotex CEO Randy Bartsch with a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal during a ceremony in 2013.

The company that will soon begin handling laundry services at several Interior Health hospitals has a long history of being a big supporter of the B.C. Liberal Party.

Abbotsford-based EcoTex Healthcare Linen Service Inc. contributed more than $130,000 to the party, candidates and constituency associations from 2005 to 2014. The company is a Canadian subsidiary of its Seattle-based parent company.

The last recorded contributions were made in early March and late April of 2014, of $7,500 and $4,000, respectively. 2015 campaign contributions will be made available at the end of the month.

According to records provided by Elections BC, there have been no contributions since April 2014. That means there have been no contributions since a decision was made to contract out laundry services within Interior Health.

The company contributed nearly $28,000 to the party in in 2011 and, during the last election in 2013, contributed $4,000 to the party and $10,000 to Abbotsford-based MLA hopefuls.

In all, the company contributed $125,940 to the BC Liberals, while president/CEO Randy Bartsch personally contributed $10,720 between 2006 and 2010.

All contributions were reported to and documented by Elections BC.

The provincial Elections Act does not limit the amount of provincial political contributions that can be made by any one contributor. The only contribution limits established under the Act are for anonymous contributions.

Meanwhile, the announcement made Tuesday indicated a majority of the laundry services would be provided through a centralized, Okanagan-based facility.

The company, in an email sent Thursday afternoon, said its contract with Interior Health will result in Ecotex investing in a new Okanagan facility that will create 90-100 full time, unionized jobs with competitive wages and benefits.

This story has been updated to reflect the Canadian-U.S. relationship of two separate arms of EcoTex.