A new facility in Waterloo aims to tackle issues associated with Canada’s aging population head-on.

The Centre of Excellence for Innovation in Aging opened its doors Friday.

It contains the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, a 30,000-square-foot research facility dedicated to studying the issue, and a 192-bed long-term care home.

Among the dignitaries on hand for the announcement was Gov. Gen. David Johnston, who was president of the University of Waterloo when planning for the facility began.

“I don’t think I ever dreamed that we would see the scope and the magnitude and the remarkable potential of this, and I was dreaming pretty big at that time,” he told the crowd.

Ron Schlegel, who chairs the board of the new facility, said that it has been designed as a “village” encouraging community living among its residents.

By 2020, the site is expected to expand to include about 200 independent living apartments.