If you’re looking for a reason why Adrian Dix would try and stay on as an interim leader rather than bow out immediately, you may want to look at his pension, which is based in no small part on the average of an MLA’s best three years of salary. As leader of the opposition, Dix gets nearly $50,000 a year more than the average NDP MLA.

Let me paint you a scenario. Let’s say Dix quits as NDP leader today, but remains as an MLA until election day, 2017. His year one pension payout would be $53,075, for a lifetime total of $917,848.

But by staying on another six months, he increases the average of his best years of earning as an MLA. By staying on until March 31, 2014, as leader, and as an MLA until election day, 2017, his year one pension payout grows to $56,533 – a new lifetime total of $977,648.

Doesn’t sound like much? Well, assume Dix decides to run for re-election in 2017. His seat is one of the safest in the province for the NDP and Carole James has proved old NDP bosses can sometimes work just fine with a new leader.

By quitting as leader today, his year one pension would be $70,767 for a lifetime total of $1.22 million.

Stick around that extra six months, and his year one pension jumps to $75,377 and a lifetime total of $1.3 million.

We may actually be lowballing that new pension number as it’s unlikely MLA salaries will be frozen for another seven years, and the possibility exists that a non-leader Dix could find himself in cabinet if the NDP won in 2017.