VANCOUVER - Adrian Dix is the new leader of B.C.'s Opposition NDP, with the party signalling a shift to the left as it attempts to set itself apart from the three-term Liberal government.
Dix won on the third ballot against rival Mike Farnworth in the race to replace former leader Carole James.
Dix and Farnworth each presented party members with decidedly different visions for the party, as the NDP searches for a way to defeat the governing Liberals and their new leader, Christy Clark, in a provincial election that could come later this year.
Dix appealed to the party's left-wing base of community activists and labour unions, while Farnworth was seen as a moderate who would move the party closer to the centre to siphon votes from the governing Liberal party.
Before the vote, Dix told members gathered in Vancouver that the party can't simply mirror the Liberal party, but instead must offer a unique vision of the province that can attract some of the 1.4 million voters who stayed home during the 2009 election.
Earlier, pot activist Dana Larsen was taken out of the race after losing on the first ballot, while John Horgan was eliminated on the second ballot.
