“Imagine being able to (do) Peterborough-Toronto or Trois Rivières-Quebec in around an hour and 15 minutes. That changes completely how you commute between a region and a city,” Imbleau said.

Of the six sub-groups directly affecting construction companies, three saw rates go down, two saw no changes, and one saw premiums increase.

Transformative projects in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia are in the running, with the winners announced on November 14.

Ford said Tuesday he directed Calandra to "pull" the boundary expansions once Calandra told him about the former minister office involvement. 

The Progressive Conservative government has been criticized in the past for how often it uses the mechanism also known as an MZO.