Horwath said she would increase funding by better prioritizing spending commitments and suggested Liberal misspending on such things as eHealth has syphoned dollars that could go to hospitals.

“It’s a matter of making sure the dollars are focused on the things that are important,” she said.

Some who have experienced overcrowding firsthand believe more than money is required to remedy the problem.

Sunanda Dhanna, a community care nurse who spent two days as a “hallway patient” at Brampton Civic, added there is a lot of wasted resources and duplication that needs to be addressed in the hospital system.

Mental health bed occupancy rates at Brampton Civic ranged between 89.4 per cent and 92.1 per cent from January to May of this year.

Overcrowding and disturbing stories of long patient waits for care are nothing new for the Brampton hospital.

The massive redevelopment of the old Peel Memorial hospital into an “urgent care” centre and outpatient facility has also been widely criticized for not having real hospital beds to better serve this growing community.

A health ministry official noted the Liberal government included an additional $518 million for hospitals in the 2017 budget and is investing $1.3 million over three years to reduce wait times and improve access to some surgeries as well as spending an additional $9 billion to support new hospital construction projects across Ontario.

“If (Andrea Horwath) was serious about investing in health care then she should have supported the 2017 budget,” the government official said.

Article updated Sept. 28 at 9:40 a.m.