With only a camera, flash and tripod I faced down this dread beast. The bane of all Canadians...Yup. It's a mosquito. A male by the looks of him, because he's pretty big. All pumped up on steroids and possibly West Nile Virus. Try to avoid these and wear lots of deet and bright clothing.
And remember, if you go camping, exactly one mosquito will end up inside your tent and buzz around your ear as you try to sleep. This is actually in the Canadian constitution, so don't blame the mosquitoes for that. They have to do it.
CORRECTION:
Ahem...
After further consultation with our vast and highly paid staff here at Toronto Wildlife, it seems that this is not a mosquito at all but a Chironomid, or what's commonly known as a midge fly. In case you had any doubt about our high ethical standards, now you know: if we make a mistake we admit it. The male part of the identification was correct.
FYI, mosquitoes and midge flies are apparently often hard to distinguish, so my original guess, or mistake, can perhaps be forgiven.
