Video released of Ferguson pushing independent journalist Joey Coleman

Much anticipated surveillance footage of an incident at Hamilton city hall between a city councillor and an independent journalist has finally been released.

Lloyd Ferguson, an Ancaster councillor, says he's dropped his appeal at the Information and Privacy Commissioner, which blocked the footage's release, saying he wants to put the issue to bed.

"This story has been going on for 18 months and has put a lot of stress on my family and distracted me from doing my job," he said in a Monday media release.

It's been one of the worst experiences of my life.- Joey Coleman

Coleman says he wants the issue to be over too. "I'm so fed up withthis thing," he said.

"It's been horrible on me. It's been one of the worst experiences of my life." Ferguson's attemptto prohibit the video's release, he said, is what hasprolonged the issue.

Coleman says the 15-second video only shows part of the actual confrontationand not a second physical altercation moments later. But the city said that's the only video available, and that the incident ended there.

Mayor FredEisenbergersaid the video shows what happened and it captures the incident.

"That's all the video there is of that incident," he said. "That piece of the video is the incident that occurred. Apparently there was nothing else."

JasonFarr, a Ward 2councillorwho waspresent, agrees withEisenbergerthatthere was no second physical altercation. "What you saw was what happened."

But Brad Clark, a former Ward 9 councillor, was also thereandagrees with Coleman that there was a second incident. He saidthe tape is incomplete.

"It is edited because it stops dead," he said."It stops abruptly. It doesn't show two people walking off in different directions."

Incident became a movie

The footage stems back to a February 2014 incident between Ferguson and Coleman.

If he wishes to continue to broadcast from (city hall),he's welcome to do so.- Mayor Fred Eisenberger

Fergusonwas talking to another councillor after a late-night meeting and grabbed and shoved Coleman away. The incident resulted in a policeinvestigation no charges were laid and an integrity commissioner investigation.

The integrity commissioner report said that Ferguson had breached the code of conduct but it did not recommend sanctions. Council received the report, which the city says is the administrative equivalent of acknowledging its delivery. Andr Marin, then theOntario Ombudsman,maligned the report on Twitter, in partthe commissioner, Earl Basse, interviewed Ferguson butnot Coleman. He graded it an F.

Ferguson, who is also police services board chair, donated $1,000 to the Ancaster Community Foundation and stepped down from the committee to choose a new integrity commissioner/lobbyist registrar.

The incident also became the subject of the local documentary The Push.Coleman's supporters hadcalled on the city to release the footage.

Coleman also said that the city has imposed sanctions on him after the incident, including restricting his access to the city's internet connection.

City hasn't limited access, mayor says

Eisenberger disputes that the city has punished Coleman over the incident, and said he's welcome back any time. He said that the city does not accredit media, and saidno one there is prohibiting Coleman from continuing his work.

"If he wishes to continue to broadcast from (city hall),he's welcome to do so."

Coleman believes there were security cameras that had better angles, and that there was better footage. He doesn't want to speculate what happened with it. "I'm told it doesn't exist."

Coleman plans to return to work in January, streaming city hall meetings with hiswebsite, The Public Record. That's when the Ontario Ombudsman has oversight of municipalities.

"In the event that there's any future incident the ombudsman can investigate," he said. Under those circumstances, "I very much doubt a similar incident would occur."

Ferguson said since the incident happened, "there continues to be anattack on my character that I find upsetting and unwilling to ignore." He also distributedwhat he says were 24 inaccuracies in atranscript of Coleman speaking during a public showing of the Hamilton Seen movieThe Push.

samantha.craggs@cbc.ca | @SamCraggsCBC