Whistler is hosting Olympic skiing and sliding sports. Richmond has the new speedskating oval. But Vancouver has a plan to grow green business.

"This is a torch that needs to keep burning. And Vancouver is the fuel," says the June 19 City of Vancouver communications platform by Haymaker Creative, obtained by 24 hours under Freedom of Information.

Haymaker and consultant Linda Oglov were hired to devise the city's Olympic branding, which Mayor Gregor Robertson revealed Sept. 30 to the Vancouver Board of Trade.

A summary said the process to develop the Vancouver Green Capital slogan and logo cost $239,000 plus GST.

The draft brandbook describes the weaving-V logo as "Green is connected to blue, land to sky and water, the city to its people and ideas to capital. The graphic V is also reminiscent of the ribbons of an Olympic medal, a nod to the Games that started Vancouver's search for a new business story."

The communications platform said the brand won't be used to hide the worst of the city.

"Where most Olympic cities sweep problems under the rug, we will not try to hide and not trying [sic] to exploit - we will try to be honest. Our most visible problems - drugs and homelessness - are Vancouver's problem, but they're also the world's problem. Yes, in a few, unfortunate ways, Vancouver is still a frontier - drug gangs war over turf; unlucky dreamers come to reinvent themselves only to find they've reached the end of the line."

Bob Mackin reports for Vancouver 24 hours.