Margaret Webb is the author of Apples to Oysters: A Food Lover's Tour of Canadian Farms (Penguin, 2008), which won a silver at the 2009 Cuisine Canada/University of Guelph National Culinary Book Awards and was shortlisted for a 2009 Evergreen Award.
Her research for the book took her across Canada and to the far north to investigate sustainable farms and aquaculture operations. An advocate of learning by the pitch-fork handle of experience, she worked on each of the farms, explored surrounding food regions and spent many long hours in pickup trucks, on boats at sea and on horseback to capture the life stories of farmers who have created not only environmentally sustainable operations but economically viable ones.
In fall 2009, she wrote an eight-part investigative series for The Toronto Star, supported by the Atkinson Foundation, entitled “Crisis on the Farm.” It explored elements of Canada’s broken food system, solutions for a fix and a strategy for a National Food Policy for Canada.
Margaret grew up on a farm near Barrie, ON. She attended University of Toronto for a BA; Concordia University in Montreal for an MA; the Canadian Film Centre as a screenwriting resident and tv writing resident; and the Banff Centre of the Arts Literary Journalism Program.
Her writing and editing career that has taken her to Montreal to write poetry and fiction, LA to write screenplays for Walt Disney Studios, and Toronto where she has worked as an editor at national and city magazines (enRoute, Vista, T.O. Magazine, On Nature) and written features for leading Canadian publications, including The Globe and Mail, Toronto Life, Canadian Geographic etc. She also teaches magazine writing at Ryerson University and speaks to organizations across Canada on food and farming issues.
Crisis on the Farm — Toronto Star Food Series
Food and Farming Articles
Other Articles
Margaret Webb has delivered keynote addresses and speeches to the following organizations:
Margaret Webb has spoken and written on the following issues: national and regional food policies; sustainable agriculture; rural revitalization; young farmers; school food; multifuncional aspects of food; marketing boards; farming and health; northern food initiatives; Canadian and regional foods.
Her current topic of interest is the need for national, provincial and community food policy and initiatives to improve food systems and revitalize farming and rural communities.
To book Margaret Webb for a speaking engagement please click here.
Join me on Facebook | 
Follow me on Twitter | 
RSS Feed | 
Email Updates