One month to go: Vancouver gears up

Vancouver is putting on its Sunday best with just a month to go before the Winter Olympics.Banners and signs are sporting the official colours of the Games, downtown buildings are wrapping themselves up with Olympic spirit and even bed-bug-sniffing dogs are getting in on the action as the city puts on its best face to welcome the world.Up until a few months ago, the most visible indication that Vancouver was about to host one of the biggest events in the world appeared to be the ever-present construction that has irritated residents and clogged up traffic.But efforts to transform Vancouver have been increasing over the past few months, notes marketing expert Paul Cubbon, who says the city and Olympic organizers were right to wait until the Games were about to begin before dressing up the city."You have to think about when you're going to put your effort and your resources, and you're going to focus them closer to the time," says Cubbon, who teaches at the University of British Columbia's business school "My sense is they've done a pretty good job about starting to trickle things in."Last week, the city began putting up more than 6,000 lamp-post banners along major streets, with images of athletes surrounded by the calming shades of blues and greens that make up the so-called "look" of the Olympics.Crews have been working to drape those same colours around Olympic venues and the downtown buildings that will host international media.A glowing set of the iconic Olympic rings has been floating in the waters off Coal Harbour since last fall, and a similar display was put up early last year at Vancouver's airport.Downtown buildings are also being fitted for the Games. Olympic sponsor RBC is gradually covering its office tower with a building-size Olympic display, and the Bay put up its own larger-than-life banners when it opened its Olympic store last October.Non-sponsors are skating around strict trademark rules to join in on the Olympic hullabaloo, painting their storefronts in reds and whites.A downtown hotel has been covered with a massive Canadian flag since last fall, and the windows of a bank around the corner feature large photos of cheering fans dressed in red. The picture doesn't say what exactly they're cheering for, but anyone walking by will no doubt fill in the blanks.Cubbon says whether it's sponsors or Olympic organizers, the goal is to create buzz when the Games are just about to begin, rather than putting everything up a year before and have it grow stale."If the banners had gone up three months ago, they would no longer be different or impactful just before the Games," he says.Vancouver residents are also beginning to deal with some of the practical realities of hosting the Olympics.No-parking signs are up along major Olympic routes, and many of the road closures near venues are set to take effect later this week. The city is encouraging locals to adjust their daily travel plans now so they'll be well-rehearsed for the Games.Local transit officials have increased fares for visitors leaving the airport along the new train line heading downtown. The $5 charge, on top of the regular $3.75 fare, only applies to people leaving the airport.And the city is asking residents to put on a happy face during the Games. A flyer in a local newspaper last week featured a list of suggestions that included offering help to anyone who appears lost, keeping patient in the face of public transit delays and urging visitors to come back after the Olympics.The regional health authority rescheduled annual inspections to take a look at every one of the 7,000 restaurant and food vendors in the city during the past six months. Several dozen restaurants were forced to close, most for a day or two, to fix violations that ranged from pest infestations to a lack of hot water.The local office of Orkin Pest Control, which uses a specially trained dog to sniff out bed bugs and other critters, says calls have spiked over the past year, whether it's rodents displaced from increased construction finding new homes or hotels looking for a clean bill of health before visitors start pouring in.The sprucing up isn't over.A new passenger train between the athletes' village and Granville Island will launch along an old rail line later this month.The city has also commissioned a number of public art pieces that will be installed over the next few weeks, including an elaborate light display that will shine up from the waters of English Bay."I think people in Vancouver are getting really excited about the Games now that they're right around the corner, and I think the look of the city is part of that," says city spokeswoman Lesli Boldt.