Zoning sets the ceiling before the building code ever gets involved. A lot zoned for a single detached house may not allow a secondary suite at all, while a lot in a zoning district that permits one still has to meet the same safety requirements as anywhere else in the city.
This is why two basements that look identical from the inside can have completely different legal status. One sits on a lot where the zoning bylaw allows a secondary suite and has the permits to prove it, and the other sits on a lot where the use simply is not allowed, no matter how well finished the space is.
Checking the zoning for your specific address with the City of Saskatoon before you spend a dollar on renovation is the only way to know which situation you are in, the same way a $400 to $600 home inspection checks the physical work before you rely on it. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.