https://www.halifax.ca/sites/default...Guidelines.pdf tells me that the general spec for compaction is 98% of the maximum.
I'd not be surprised if it was 100% for this project.
In any case, free of recent dissimilarly back-filled trenches, the freeze-thaw heaving will be nearly nothing.
Since pavers are not going to dissolve because of oil or gas leaking onto them, or UV destroying them, they could quite easily last longer than asphalt.