Recently, I had the chance to catch up with Troy Chaplin, long-time WordPress contributor, plugin developer, and one of the key organizers behind this year’s WordCamp Canada, happening October 15–17, 2025 in Ottawa.
We talked about everything from accessibility to Contributor Day, and if you’re anywhere near Canada, or even just have a valid passport and a love for the open web, you should go.
WordCamp Canada: Come for the Talks, Stay for Contributor Day
WordCamp Canada is shaping up to be one of the most exciting WordPress events in North America this year. It kicks off at Carleton University in Ottawa with Contributor Day on October 15, followed by two days of talks and community on the 16th and 17th.
Yes, Dave Winer, co-creator of RSS, is a keynote speaker. That alone is worth the $100 CAD ticket price (roughly $65 USD). But what really stood out in my conversation with Troy was how much energy he’s putting into making Contributor Day a valuable, welcoming experience, especially for folks who’ve never contributed before.
Contributor Day: A Gateway, Not a Gate
Troy shared how he came into last year’s Contributor Day with a goal: contribute to Gutenberg for the first time. This year, he’s returning to help others do the same.
He’s also pushing for more collaboration with WordPress Accessibility Day, which happens to fall on the same day. That’s no coincidence. Troy works at a university, where accessibility isn’t just a checkbox, it’s a necessity. That mindset is baked into the way he thinks about WordPress.
As someone who spends a lot of time helping agencies and developers through my role at Kinsta, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful open-source contributions can be, not just for the project, but for the contributor. Contributor Day is where new contributors find their lane, and experienced ones find their people.
A Plugin for Accessible Publishing
One of the coolest things Troy mentioned was his new plugin, Block Accessibility Checks. It’s a validation tool that helps content creators spot issues, like missing button text or links, before publishing. Think of it as the WordPress version of Gmail’s “Did you mean to attach something?” prompt.
Version 2.0 of the plugin adds a developer API, so other block developers can plug in their own rules. It’s clean, useful, and built with the same collaborative spirit that makes WordPress great.
So, Should You Go to WordCamp Canada?
Yes.
Contributor Day isn’t just for seasoned developers. It’s for anyone who wants to better understand how WordPress gets built, and maybe build a little of it yourself.
Whether you’re looking to dive into accessibility, design, documentation, or development, there’s a place for you. And if you’re not sure where to start? People like Troy will help you figure it out.
Quick Details
- Contributor Day: October 15, 2025
- WordCamp Canada: October 16–17, 2025
- Location: Carleton University, Ottawa
- Tickets: ~$65 USD / $100 CAD — buy here
Full Transcript
Full Transcript: Roger Williams and Troy Chaplin on WordCamp Canada & Contributor Day
Roger Williams: WordCamp Canada is going to be in Ottawa this year—just to make sure people get to the right city. Can you remind me of the dates?
Troy Chaplin: Yeah, days one and two are October 16th and 17th on the campus of Carleton University in Ottawa.
Roger: Excellent. And I recall seeing that the keynote speaker is going to be the one and only Dave Winer, one of the creators of RSS. That’s pretty exciting.
Troy: Yeah, and in addition to that, we also have a second keynote speaker—Evan Prodromou. He’s really big in the Fediverse and ActivityPub space. We’re also close to confirming a third keynote speaker for Contributor Day.
Roger: Wow, more big announcements coming. But the most important thing here is: people need to buy tickets and go to the event. Head to the website, grab your ticket, and share that you’re attending. Let’s make this a big one.
Troy: Absolutely. Tickets are $100 CAD—so around $65 USD. Where else can you get two or three days of solid content for that?
Roger: And also get access to Contributor Day, which is always a really fun and fascinating part of any WordCamp. Now let’s shift gears and talk about your WordPress contributions. What have you been up to?
Troy: My main focus recently has been an article I’ve been working on for a while—an advanced multi-block tutorial. I finally submitted it for review. I’ve also been digging into Gutenberg issues, particularly in the design area, and making some accessibility-related contributions. Design contributions take patience, but it’s been rewarding.
Roger: What about your past articles?
Troy: The first one was about building a multi-block plugin that mashed assets together. This new article improves that by supporting static, dynamic, and interactive blocks in one package. It also uses Webpack to help with block variations and styling, all while reducing complexity for developers.
Roger: Is that available publicly?
Troy: Yes, it’ll be available in the WordPress Training Team GitHub. I’ve also written about hybrid themes and block categories. Writing those helped me learn things I didn’t know before—like how much you can actually do with block categories.
Roger: Definitely deep technical content. But it’s fascinating, even for those of us who don’t write code. Now, back to Contributor Day—what’s your mindset going in?
Troy: Last year, my goal was to contribute to Gutenberg for the first time—and I did. This year, I want to focus on accessibility, especially with Contributor Day overlapping with WP Accessibility Day. I’d also love to help onboard new contributors, just like I was helped last year.
Roger: That’s what makes Contributor Day special—new people, experienced people, and face-to-face collaboration. It really builds the community. Huge thanks to you and all the contributors who make WordPress what it is. Anything else you want to share?
Troy: I’ve been building and maintaining a plugin called Block Accessibility Checks. It ensures content creators meet basic accessibility needs—like making sure buttons have text and URLs. Version 2.0 includes a developer API that lets others use the validation engine for their own blocks, whether it’s for accessibility or other purposes. It’s flexible and integrates into the options pages of my plugin.
Roger: That sounds like the Gmail “Did you mean to attach something?” alert, but for publishing. What’s the plugin called?
Troy: Block Accessibility Checks. I focused on accessibility, but in hindsight, it could also be used more broadly for validation. Still, I’m happy with the direction.
Roger: Love it. We’ll link to the plugin and the event below. Everyone—go buy your ticket to WordCamp Canada and make plans to be in Ottawa in mid-October. If someone wants to reach out to you, what’s the best way?
Troy: You can find me on the Make WordPress Slack, or go to WPSlack.ca to join the WordPress Canada Slack group.
Roger: Perfect. Always a pleasure talking with you, Troy. Thanks so much for your time.
Troy: Thank you, Roger. Cheers.