Magill received his Bachelor's degree at Acadia University in Nova Scotia before moving to McGill University where he completed his Master's. Returning to Nova Scotia after completing his M.A., Magill spent three years teaching at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish before accepting a position in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto.

Shortly afterwards, Magill was awarded his Doctorate from Washington University and was soon appointed a Senior Fellow at New College, U of T.

Magill co-authored Africville: The Life and Death of a Black Community based on his study of the relocation of that community.