<p>Research on the factors associated with monitoring and enforcement activities is limited. While some studies focus on specific industries, most concentrate on pollution abatement and environmental performance. This paper addresses a crucial gap in the literature by examining patterns of compliance monitoring and inspections through socioeconomic and environmental justice perspectives. We identify key characteristics associated with monitoring, including the percentage of visible minority populations, distance from inspection offices, the ratio of planned-to-total monitoring activities and past violations. Our analysis shows that census subdivisions (CSDs) with a higher percentage of Indigenous population are more often uninspected despite hosting polluting facilities, whereas CSDs with a higher minority population experience a greater monitoring intensity. Our findings imply that Environment and Climate Change Canada regulators’ approach to compliance monitoring appears to be centered around CSDs with certain characteristics.</p>