It is interesting to note that the NPA election campaign chair and key fundraiser is Peter Armstrong -- executive chairman, founder and principal of the Armstrong Group, owner and operator of the Rocky Mountaineer rail tour business.

And outgoing NPA Park Board Commissioner Ian Robertson is spokesperson for the Armstrong Group.

Rocky Mountaineer has been using replacement workers to continue its luxury rail travel operations since employees represented by Teamsters Local 31 were locked out in June in a contract dispute.

The Armstrong Group bought bus tour operator Gray Line West from Greyhound Canada in 2005, but shut the Vancouver operation down in 2007, with the NPA's Robertson saying there was competition from other tour bus companies and too many options available for tourists in Vancouver. About 80 workers -- also represented by Teamsters Local 31 -- were put out of work.

By comparison to Anton's privately-partnered streetcar plan, Vision Vancouver promised this month to work for new and expanded public transit services.

COPE also supports increased transit, proposing TransLink create a "C-Pass" or community pass, building on the success of the U-Pass for university and college students.

COPE states that it would work to bring the HandyDart buses for people with disabilities under public ownership through TransLink instead of it continuing to be a privately contracted service.

Mayor Robertson joined Surrey Mayor Diane Watts, North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto and other mayors last month in voting to support TransLink's Supplemental Budget plan, which will use a new two cent a litre gasoline tax to build the Evergreen Line, increase bus and SeaBus service by 415,000 service hours and make other transit improvements.

Anton did agree with Vision and COPE councillors to unanimously endorse that position.

Clear differences

But looking at the issues makes clear that significant policy differences exist between Vision Vancouver and COPE and their NPA opponents.

Similarly wide disagreements also exist in the parties' policies at the Vancouver Board of Education and Park Board.

It's Anton's positions on key city council issues like these that led former NPA campaign manager Bob Ransford to endorse Robertson for mayor, with a stinging denunciation of not only Anton but her "common sense" NPA team.

"Suzanne Anton and the NPA have the wrong priorities for Vancouver. The current NPA candidates are inexperienced, constantly contradicting one another, and have run a highly negative campaign, instead of one focused on the big issues in Vancouver. "It's too risky for voters to support Suzanne Anton and the NPA in this election on Nov. 19."

And Anton's approach had Daniel Fontaine, the former chief of staff to NPA Mayor Sam Sullivan, predicting in late October that she faced a "very slim chance of winning" -- before the Occupy Vancouver issue began to dominate coverage and the NPA's cynical strategy to overcome a weak candidate's flaws.

But Fontaine, co-founder of NPA-friendly blog City Caucus with now NPA council candidate Mike Klassen, did make clear the party's strategy is to attempt to gain majority control of council.

"But what is most at risk for the mayor is controlling that council. The way our council works is if you don't have six seats in council, you're a weak mayor," Fontaine told the Vancouver Sun.

Get out and vote

Looking back to the Angus Reid poll also shows the likely real reason Anton is riding the anti-Occupy Vancouver issue.

When it comes to providing good sanitation services -- which 93 per cent of Vancouver residents say is the most important issue -- 77 per cent think the City is doing a very good or good job.

While that doesn't mean Vision Vancouver and its political partners COPE will clean up on the NPA on Nov. 19, it does show the opposition party definitely won't be sweeping the polls either.

So don't think your vote won't make a difference on Saturday or in advance polls. Regardless of who you support, exercise your democratic right to choice who governs Vancouver.

[Tags: Politics.]