When my girlfriend and I visited Toronto last summer, we were surprised to see rickshaws in the downtown areas, especially on Front Street. We were even propositioned by one driver, because it was around six in the evening and he wanted to go back the way we were walking. If I remember accurately, he offered us a ride from the CN Tower back to our hotel about a dozen blocks away for just five Canadian dollars. We were enjoying our evening walk, however, so we declined.
Far from seeming like an impoverished local, the rickshaw driver seemed fit and healthy. After reading the other writeups above I decided to check on google and found that the rickshaws (in North America, at least) are a summer job that pays decently. Anywhere from 500 to 2000 Canadian dollars per week are apparently available for drivers in Toronto. The company I researched, Orient Express (how bizarre), apparently also employs and offers service in Ottawa (the Canadian capital), Kingston (Ontario), and Las Vegas. It should also be noted that women are also employed - apparently this company's rickshaws are lightweight and designed to be easily pulled.
Sources:
http://www.rickshaws.net/employment_aboutus.html (Orient Express
website)