The City of Saskatoon's building code sets minimum footing depth and drainage requirements specifically because of that soil behaviour, and a raised foundation with a well-drained crawlspace or a deeper basement wall is a common way builders satisfy that code while also keeping mechanical rooms above any seasonal water table.
The tradeoff for an owner is a few extra steps to the front door and a taller elevation overall, in exchange for a foundation less likely to crack or heave as the clay beneath it expands and contracts through Saskatoon's freeze-thaw cycle every year.
On an older home nearby, a buyer's inspection, typically $400 to $600, is the practical way to check whether the existing foundation has handled that soil movement well over time. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.