Financing differs meaningfully between the two. A non-owner-occupied purchase needs 20 percent down either way, but a two-family generally supports a larger mortgage against the same down payment because a lender can count income from a second unit, provided that unit is permitted with the City of Saskatoon.
Management load is the real tradeoff. A single-family investment means one lease, one tenant relationship and one set of Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 notice requirements to track, while a two-family doubles all of that, including turnover timing that rarely lines up between units.
Neither structure is automatically the better return; the right one depends on how much hands-on management you actually want. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.