Beards worn in uniform, the new normal?

[Peter Phillips]

I live near 4 Wing Cold Lake and see quite a few military personnel in and out of uniform regularly. What I'm shocked at is the amount of beards you see lately; I'd venture to guess about 50% of men I see in uniform have them. And the worst part is they range from scrubby, patchy things to full on bushy ones. For those that live/work on or around other bases in Canada, is this the new normal?

I'm not sure how long Canadian troops have been clean shaven (100+ years at least) but used to be you weren't allowed having a beard unless you we're Navy, in a Pioneer Platoon for Infantry, or had a medical chit.