Could Adrian Dix be a savvier fiscal manager than Pauline Marois? By not doing what Marois did and resigning on election night, May 14, 2013, when Dix's NDP punted their 22-point lead and lost to the B.C. Liberals, Dix jumped his future MLA pension by at least $6,300 per year. 

Here’s the math, assuming Dix leave politics in 2017 (unlikely, but who knows – he may miss being in charge). Dix would be eligible for a year 1 pension payout (at age 65) of $63,945, with a lifetime, indexed total (to age 85) of $1.1 million.

But if Dix had quit as leader on election night, and left the $50,929 annual bonus salary for opposition leaders behind, his pension would have dropped to a year 1 total of $57,635, and a lifetime, indexed total (to age 85) of $996,700.

By hanging around as a lame duck leader all year, Dix added more than $100,000 lifetime to his pension amount, and $6,310 per year. Should he add more years of service beyond 2017 (a good bet given he will be only 53 at the next election and one cannot start collecting even a reduced MLA pension until age 60), clinging to the leadership will turn out to have been even more lucrative.

On another pension note, I was asked to calculate NDP MLA Jenny Kwan’s numbers just in case she didn’t come back from her recent leave of absence (she did).

If Kwan has resigned following the Portland Hotel Society scandal, she would have been in line for a first-year pension payout (at age 65) of $71,829, and a lifetime indexed pension (to age 80) of $1.24 million.

By sticking around until at least the 2017 election, she will instead max out her pensionable service amount (MLAs can only claim up to 20 years). Her year 1 payout at age 65 will be $79,810, with the lifetime indexed number to age 80 totaling $1.38 million.

I should note Kwan was born in 1967, so she’s not eligible to receive that pension until 2032, although she could take it early, at a reduced rate, as soon as 2027.